Elder Honor Day celebrates 753 Elders from 23 Tribes at Chinook Winds
13th annual event honors Elders who enjoy day of entertainment, information, culture and sharing
Photos by Natasha
Kavanaugh
Junior Miss Siletz
Clarinda Black
presents a Pendleton
blanket to Clifford
Charles, oldest male
veteran at Elder
Honor Day.
By Natasha Kavanaugh
This year’s Elder Honor Day, entitled Circle of Wisdom, Honoring Our Country,
took place April 3 at Chinook Winds Casino Resort.
Elders from 23 Tribes — 753 Elders in all - attended the event, including those from
Siletz, Colville, Coquille, Grand Ronde, Inupiaq, Lummi, Nez Perce, Nisqually Nook
sack, Pine Ridge, PiNeeWaus, Portland American Indians, Puyallup, Quileute, Samish,
Spokane, Suquamish, Swinomish, Tolowa, Tulalip, Upper Skagit, Warm Springs
and Yakama.
Nick Sixkiller emceed the event and drumming was provided by Bear Spirit.
Spencer Hatch from the Tillicum Fitness Center led a fitness exercise.
Ten vendors also attended the event, either selling items or providing information.
The Sree-Xvsh Singers sang Rain, Rain Go Away and Grey Squirrel, then closed
with the Four Directions Prayer Song. Led by Cova St. Onge, Tribal Language Project
coordinator, were Kateri Whitehead, Jazmyn Metcalf, Clarinda Black, Tehya Woodruff,
Shee-ne DePoe-Aspria and Allivea and Jocelyn Hernandez.
The Siletz Tribal Royalty - Miss Siletz Jennifer Easter, Junior Miss Siletz Clarinda
Black and Little Miss Siletz Jocelyn Hernandez - did The Lord’s Prayer.
Margaret Ann Peggy Green of the Lummi Tribe was honored as the oldest Elder.
She is 89 years old and has worked at the Lummi School for 51 years.
Clifford Charles, also of the Lummi Tribe, was honored as the oldest male veteran
at nearly 90 years old. The oldest female veteran was 81-year-old Veronica “Mae”
Taylor of the Nez Perce Tribe.
Hawaiian artist Michael Dane of Depoe Bay, Ore., provided musical entertainment.
The day finished with a game of Bingo.
Deb Brown, Joe Akin, Sue Langstaff, Norma Anderson and Bill DePoe enjoy a visit during Elder Honor
Day at Chinook Winds Casino Resort.
Elder Honor Day • April 3, 2012
Thank you to all of the Elders who participated in making the 2012 Elder
Honor Day such a great success.
Bear Spirit drummed for beginning ceremonies. Our Honor Guard - Tony
Molina, Ed Ben, Bill DePoe, Clint Muschamp, Stan Werth and Alan Fish - carried
in the flags. Jack Kaegi and Gene Kaegi from the Lummi Tribe drummed for us
to carry out the flags at the conclusion of our event. There were many veterans at
our event and it was our privilege to honor all of them.
Thank you to the Tribal staff and volunteers who assisted us in putting on this
event. Also to Royalty and especially to Cova and the girls who entertained us
with their special language songs. It is heart-warming to see our children learning
our language.
Our entertainer, Michael Dane, was a hit with the Elders and they danced to
his music. The Elders enjoyed the fitness exercises as directed by Spencer Hatch.
Joe Padilla called Bingo for us and the Elders had fun playing Bingo.
The service we received from the Chinook Winds Casino staff was outstand
ing. Teresa Gass and Marie Stanley answered every request and stayed on top of
the entire event. Their decoration of the convention center matched our patriotic
theme Honoring Our Country with the flags hanging from the ceiling over all of
the tables and the red and blue napkins.
The food was great and a special thank you to the chef and his staff for respond
ing so well to the enormous turnout. We were expecting 500 guests and I am sure
the numbers exceeded 700.
Last but not least, thank you to Nick Sixkiller, who served as our MC, Bingo
runner, raffle prize announcer and door prize announcer. Nick has assisted us with
our Elder Honor Day many times and we appreciate his help.
If I have overlooked thanking anyone, please forgive me. It was not intentional.
Sincerely,
Shirley Walker, CTSI Elders Chairman
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Siletz News
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May 2012
Margaret Ann
Peggy Green (top
right) is honored
as the oldest Elder
attending the event.
Veronica “Mae”
Taylor (right) is
recognized as
the oldest female
veteran.