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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 1977)
JULY 22, 1977 urolyn Returns to Sheridan With Her Eye on Miss Indian America Title Aurolyn Stwyer barely re- lembers her first trip to Sher- idan, Wyoming for the All- Indian Days celebration. She Las only four years old but according to her mother she [ad some pretty big ideas. Upon meeting Vivian Arvi- L a Navajo girl who had just Lon the Miss Indian America ■1962 title, Aurolyn looked up at her with obvious admiration and announced in her little Lice, “When I grow up I’m going to be Miss Indian Amer- kia.” Vivian patted her on the back and said, “You’re* very intelligent. I bet you’ll do it.” Fifteen years later Aurolyn is traveling to the Sheridan celebration again, this time as a poised young woman bearing the title of Miss Warm Springs. If the judges take her as seriously as Vivian did in 1962, Aurolyn just may come home as Miss Indian America 1977. As a contestant in the annual contest, Aurolyn will through a stack of forms that face a dizzying schedule of are far more impressive than appearances, including talent college applications. The 19 exhibitions, banquets, parades year-old contestant was requir and a pageant. ed to write a 300-word essay For five days beginning illustrating her concern for In July 27 Aurolyn will be under dian people. Her topic: Getting the watchful and critical eyes . more Indians into management of five panels of judges who positions. will be evaluating among other On the lighter side, Auro things her talent, dress, poise, lyn has been working with Eva personality and concern for Montee on a modern physical Indian people. fitness routine that she will The new Miss Indian Am perform to the tune of the erica will be chosen at the theme from “Rocky.” pageant July 31. In addition to a modern A caravan of Miss Warm talent demonstration, Aurolyn Springs fans, friends and rela and the other contestants will tives will be leaving here Sat display a traditional talent urday, July 23 to lend their once every day. Aurolyn is support in Aurolyn’s bid for practicing the Hoop Dance the title. with Donny Winishut, which Aurolyn says she is looking she plans to do with three forward to the Sheridan event, hoops. despite the rigors of prepara Fund raising has been an tion, traveling and participa other activity of Aurolyn and ting. She has spent the last her friends. A recent auction in couple of- weeks plowing front of the Administration MiSS fried nany sored s of the and rew. year,! with Har- ay to¡ after says " of with 5 the it. i nela nine r old ipor- Æotel ; for; PAGE 3 Miss Warm Springs Aurolyn Stwyer is off to Sheridan, Wyoming to compete for the honor of Miss Indian America 1977. ler ready smile, shown here at the Warm Springs Fourth of July 'arade, should catch the judges’ eyes. (Sandy Rangila Photo) Sacred Dance Revealed by Roger Stwyer A sacred cougar dance, not performed in over 25 years, was revealed Thursday, July 7, at the Agency Longhouse. Ac cording to Nelson. Wallulatum, chief of the Wasco band, “The Boy Scouts did it (the dance) her 25 years ago, but it was bever done in the longhouse for her 50 years.” He also said, panders Heath, a Boy Scout himself back then told me he didn’t remember the dance, he remembered seeing the skins, pit not the dance.” When asked why he Fought such a dance out, he eplied, “There’s nothing to Ry, it just laid dormant for Flong that we just brought it R so the children could re- pember. I guess the main ppose was teaching.” I He said another reason for Fing the dance was to show Pe children “there is some- Ping else besides Pow-wows.” Rison recalled days when Facing was an Indian custom. Ft now, he says, “Pow-wows R’t mean a thing, it isn’t an Pdian custom anymore, they Phe dancers) don’t know a P'og about their tribal cus- the ones who performed the cougar dance were: Hank Pal mer, Richard Tohqt, Roger Stwyer, and Tommy Kalama. The bear was Narvel Tufti. According td Verbena Greene, “This dance is suppos ed to be a fun dance.” Nelson explained this further when he showed the dancers the dance. “When he (Herb Stwyer, drum mer) beats the drum fast, crawl on your hands and knees and fight, paw one another and hiss at each other, but when he slows the beat, stand up dance.” One spectator thought it was funny because he never saw such a dance done before. Nelson pointed out another thing, “The song was Wasco- pum, the dance was Tenino.” Another important role in the dance was that of the trainers. They were Silas and Prosanna Williams. An inter esting thing was that Prosanna used her kindness to gentle the cougars and keep them from fighting, but Silas carried a long willow whip to tame them. The only one to obey the trainers was the bear (Narvel Tufti) because every time he got whipped he rolled over. foms.” Following the cougar I The dance itself proved to dance, a series of Wasco danc f a real crowd pleaser, al- es was put on by the family of P°ugh Nelson and Herb Stwy- Nelson. Then Nelson, Ada FSr. had to teach the inex- Sooksoit, and Lizzie Rhoan put rrienced dancers how - to do on a exhibition (fancy) skip F® dance just minutes before "dance, a dance similiar to the p dance started. Incidentally, fancy war dance. “When I grow up I’m going to be Miss Indian America.” four year old Aurolyn Stwyer advised Miss Indian America 1962 Vivian Arvisa of her plans when she visited Sheridan All-Indian Days fifteen years ago. Her mother Neda listened with amuse ment and her brother Roger had other things on his mind, but both will cheer her on this week as Aurolyn makes a serious bid for the 1977 title. Photo supplied by Neda Greene Building netted over $350 for the cause. The Tribal Council is assisting Aurolyn with her trip and the Stenopool is giving her lots of support. Of course there is the daily business of being Miss -Warm Springs, as well as a student, a volunteer and a youth program coordinator. Aurolyn has been particu larly busy. representing Warm Springs in local functions in the last few months. Just last weekend her float won the Mayor’s Trophy in the Ft. Dalles Day Parade in The Dalles. She also participated in the Crooked River Round-up Parade, the Warm Springs Fourth of July parade and she rode on the prize winning Warm Springs float in the Rose Parade in Portland. Her Lord’s Prayer in Sign Lan guage has become a popular part of local ceremonies. “I’m constantly involved in something,” Aurolyn says about her life as Miss Warm Springs. She is enjoying what she considers to be a new experience in public relations. On top of it all, she has just finished her sophomore year at Portland State College where she is studying Business Administration. Unable to resist new chal lenges, Aurolyn is also serving on the Urban Indian Programs BoaptXand the Southeast Youth Council Board in Portland. She is the Assistant Program Coor dinator for the Native Ameri can Youth Association, the only job for which she gets paid. Seeking the Miss Indian America title is another kind of challenge for Aurolyn. Ex- plaining why she would like to be Miss Indian America 1977, Aurolyri says, “It’s a pretty good opportunity for personal growth and getting to take in all the other Indian cultures by traveling to Indian functions.” Miss Indian America re ceives invitations to attend conventions and powwows all over the nation during her térm. Warm Springs wishes Aur- olyn good luck in her pursuit of the title which a confident four year old predicted she would one day fill. j In a revival of sacred and social Wasco Wallulatum arranged for the demonostration dances, Lovina Sargent and Tommy Kalama July 7 which featured many dances rarely seen. hustle through an arch of arms and feathers in CDS Phot* the Grand March or Buck Dance. Chief Nelson
