About Darla
Memorist Storyteller Watercolor artist
I write about identity, family, and memory.
Most of my work focuses on overcoming generational trauma and learning to be seen.
But if I only had one thing to write, I'd say,
"You have choice of which heritage you accept."
–Darla Clement
I am part white and part Indigenous, an author, a watercolorist, and a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation in Montana.
My dad hated Indians but married a Native American, and my mom hated white men but married a white man. Mom used to tell me about a reservation girl who "ran off and married a white man," and I’d reply, "Mom, I ran off and married a white man. What do you think of that?" She moved her hands in an arc as if to protect herself from my question, never answering.
When I started penning my memoir, I thought it would be an entertaining collection of short stories about growing up on a reservation with my prankster sister, Nancy. But I realized that being bi-racial was worth exploring.
Searching my Uncle David’s research, I discovered more about myself than I could ever imagine. Going back to the 1800s, I realized how much of the past is part of the present, and it gave me a better understanding of myself.
And it helped me reclaim the rich Native heritage that had been denied to me as a child.
more about darla
I never caught a robin as a child in the northern Rocky Mountains. But I never stopped trying to sneak behind the red-chested bird, my dirty feet silent against the earth. Robins fly away at the last second, wings flapping, as if saying, “You can’t catch me.”
But I teach my grandson the best ways to catch a robin is by being sill. and I tell him, “Don’t give up. Never, ever give up. Someday, you’ll catch that robin.”
