TRIBAL PROGRAM NEWS
Jr. Miss Siletz Enjoys Gathering
of Nations
by Tiffany Dawn Stuart
This past April, 1, Tiffany Stuart -
Jr. Miss Siletz 2001-2002 - attended
the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow in
Albuquerque. N.M., with Miss Siletz,
Waleeska Riding In, and her mother;
Little Miss Siletz, Leslie Lundy, and
her grandmother; and my mother,
Marlene Stuart, and my grandmother,
Maxine Rilatos. While in Albuquerque,
we attended the pow-wow and Miss
Indian World Pageant, and visited the
Pueblo Cultural Center and Old Town.
At “The Pit” where the pow-wow
was held, there were so many Indians.
Before grand entry, I met royalty from
across the country. They introduced
themselves and asked me questions. I
asked questions like who and where
they were from, what they represented,
or what they had to do at their pageant.
The floor for grand entry and
intertribal was always packed. I was
proud to wear my shell necklaces,
basketcap, and apron skirt while
competing. I got to see old friends and
pow-wow buddies. I met Miss Indian
World, NAMY winners, and a Navajo
code talker.
The Miss Indian World Pageant
was held at a convention center in
downtown Albuquerque. The con
testants showed a 3-5 minute
presentation about their tribe or did a
Native demonstration. The current Miss
Indian World, Ke, and her dance group
demonstrated Hawaiian dances. It was
an enjoyable night.
The Pueblo Cultural Center was a
very well-developed establishment. It
had a restaurant, store, offices,
museums, and an outdoor space in the
middle of the center where
presentations took place. We ate
traditional foods like blue corn
pancakes, oven bread, corn fries,
homemade guacamole, frybread, and
corn soup at the restaurant.
The store had many souvenirs and
native items. Under the center is a
Pueblo Museum, where we saw a short
movie on pottery and learned about
their ways of dress, government, tools,
and all the aspects of their life in the
past and present. We also had the
privilege to see Aztec and Hopi dancers
do their tribal dances.
I talked to a girl my age who is
Hopi and learned a great deal from her,
that her family was strict on learning
Hopi ways and knowing their language.
Since it was Native American week at
the center, there were many people there
and different tribal presentations.
Siletz Royalty and Zuni dancers in New Mexico
A Navajo code talker and his wife with the Siletz Royalty
The Siletz Royalty was asked to
introduce themselves to the crowd by
the director of the center. We were
treated very well and were presented
with a pin that had their tribal emblem
on it. If I had the chance, I would
go back and visit the center and
museum again.
Old Town had stores where you
could buy anything from jewelry to
rugs. It was a good place to go for
souvenirs. We ate frybread and
beans at a little restaurant called
Frybread Mama’s.
On this trip, I met many people and
saw wonderful sites. I learned I should
always introduce myself. A woman was
looking at my crown, so I introduced
myself and we started talking. She said
that she had relations in Siletz, so I
introduced her to my grandmother. The
women knew who Archie Ben was, my
great-grandpa (my grandma’s father),
and was related. I want to continue
dancing and learning the Siletz ways,
which Grandpa Ben did his whole life.
All in all, I had a good time in
Albuquerque. I would like to thank the
Pow-Wow Committee and the tribe for
funding my way and my mother’s way
to New Mexico. I also want to thank
my mother and grandma for going to
Albuquerque and supporting me.
May God bless you all and every
one of you are in my prayers. It has
been a wonderful year representing the
Siletz people.
William Depoe Jr. takes part in the Gathering of Nations Pow-Wow. To see
photos of many of the participants, including Siletz Royalty, visit
www. gatheringofnations. com/galleries/powwow02.