JUNE 16, 1978 PAGE
FESTIVAL SPARKS CENTRAL OREGONIAN PRIDE
Fried bread danced in hot
oil outside the tepees while
elsewhere people pranced to
oldtime fiddling, sheep bleated
their annoyance with being rou
tinely relieved of their, wooly
coats, and water witches pointed
out moisture to even the most
skeptical.
Central Oregon’s first Folk-
life Festival brought many of
the region’s celebrated and les
ser known traditions to the Des
chutes County Fairgrounds in
Redmond June 10-11, proving
that the east side of the moun
tains has more to offer than
desert.
Despite competition from
Portland’s Rose Festival, two
rodeos, and two powwows, the
Folklife Festival attracted a
couple of thousand spectators
each day, estimated coordinator
Suzi Jones of the Oregon Arts
Commission.
The two-day celebration of
Central Oregon’s cultural heri
tage was conceived and spon
sored by the pilot folk arts
component of the Arts Commis
sion and modeled after their
first event held at Astoria last
summer.
Six months of research pre
ceded the festival, a process that
brought to light a vast array of
musical, culinary and occupa
tional talents. An attractive
booklet captured these skills and
collected recordings and photo
graphs reside in archives at the
University of Oregon.
But far from being tucked
away in books, attics and old
photos, the folklore of Central
Oregon is ongoing and lively, as
evidenced by the busy atmos
phere of the festival. A horse
drawn wagon carried spectators
through the fairgrounds where
tents and stages featured con
tinuous demonstrations in sheep
and cattle ranching, trapping,
spinning, whittling, sourdough
baking, saddle making, singing
and dancing, to mention a few.
Warm Springs, represented
by the Verbena Greene and
Geneva Smith families and Felix
Wallulatum, offered some of the
oldest cultural traditions in the
region with their dancing, story
telling, art and craft displays
and foods demonstrations.
Two tepees marked the
Native American area, drawing
curious crowds of people who
Felix Wallulatum and Verbena Greene provided the beat for a demonstration was dance performed
by Geneva Smith and her family and friends at the Central Oregon Folklife Festival in Redmond June
CDS Photo
had never before ventured into a
tepee or examined a buckskin
outfit up close.
Beadwork, leatherwork and
basketry — some old and some
contemporary — were on dis
play, and Felix illustrated the
art of tanning hides and weaving
baskets.
Outside the tepees Geneva
and Verbena cooked up fried
bread and chatted with people
about traditional food gathering
and preparation.
Outside the tepees Geneva
and Verbena cooked up fried
bread and chatted with people
about traditional food gathering
and preparation.
Both festival stages featured
Warm Springs talent. With the
assistance of Doug Hites, a
Cherokee from Terrebonne, the
families drummed, sang and
danced on the main stage each
day and at a special concert of
traditional
music Saturday
night. On the nearby workshop
stage Verbena told colorful stor
ies about Coyote and the origin
of such local features as Black
Butte and the Painted Desert.
Ms. Jones noted that visitors
to the festival were enthusiastic,
about the informal, hands-on
experiences provided by exhibi
tors.
And in turn the exhibitors
themselves were excited about
the opportunity to demonstrate
their cultural heritage.
Field researcher Sandi Sèr-
ling of Bend returned to the
office after distributing checks
and certificates to the parti
cipants ' and remarked, “I’ve
been getting hugs and kisses.
Everybody loved it! They want
to do it again next year.”
Although the Oregon Arts
Commission and National En
dowment for the Arts will prob
ably look to one of thé other
eleven cultural regions in Ore
gon for a future festival, enough
local support was given to Cen
tral Oregon’s event to provide
momentum for their own activi
ties. Among the local contribu
tors were Bank of the Cascades,
Brooks Scanlon, Inc., the S.S.
Johnson Foundation, Ochoco
Lumber Company, and the Red
mond Chamber of Commerce.
And enough cultural pride
was aroused to keep Central
Oregonians shearing, dancing
and frying bread for some time
to come.
speak or gifts to offer. Even as
they packed, the exchange was
lively.
Rather it was time to, in
Cal’s words, “overcome” an
other aspect of their “ignor
ance,” to see how they might
change in another environment.
As they were leaving they
spoke with no less honesty and
no less caring about the com
munity that was their home for
five years. Their hopes will stay
with the people — their hopes
that people here can build their
ethnic identity on a high quality
of life wherein resources are
valued^ families are strong and
diversity is enjoyed.
Their feeling
that
the
“people will pull it off” reflects
the spirit in which they helped
individuals to help themselves.
Losing Cal will just mean learn
ing to listen to yourself even
more closely.
Sheep didn’t enjoy the Central Oregon Folklife Festival nearly as
much as people, since they lost their coats to Ellsworth Dickson, a
sheep rancher from Pilot Butte.
CDS Photo
Liiiie Meanus (right) was fascinated by a windmill that bounced
“dancing dolls” when she turned it. The contraption was built by
George Winkler, a craftsman from Bend.
CDS Photo
Chinns:
(Continued from Page 1)
church that had not existed pre
viously. His respect for the eld
erly formed a special bond be
tween him and many old people.
“He was a real nice one,”
said Mary Hote, because he
often came out to visit her at
home, transported her, and
prayed for her when she was in
the hospital,
Mary also noted that Cal
helped establish a new ecumeni
cal tradition by accepting invi
tations to speak in both the
Shaker Church and the Long-
house.
Church walls were unimpor
tant for the Chinns and the role
of Presbyterian minister and
congregation grew into a com
mitment to the entire commun
ity-
At the farewell potluck Wed
nesday night an assortment of
individuals acknowledged the
warmth and concern Cal had
shown them: a Baptist minister,
a Longhouse leader, a Hebrew
student, Indians and non-In
dians, the faithful and non-be
lievers alike. Everyone felt they
had a special relationship with
Cal.
“So unlike a minister!”
many of us have thought on
occasion, as if a man of the cloth
does not wear T-shirts and a
Christian isjnot candid. “And so
unlike a minister’s wife!” we
may have remarked of Nancy,
misguidedly believing that a
woman joined to a clergyman
should not be independent or
spirited. “But the children!” we
clucked, while they tore the
house apart instead of sitting
properly in the parlor.
The Chinns’ gift has been
their humanness in which we
easily find ourselves mirrored.
Cal has earned love and re
spect not by telling people what
they wanted to hear. As munici
pal manager Rudy Clements
pointed out, “He said what we
needed to hear” even though it
may have hurt because it was so
true or was distasteful because
we wanted to. forget.........
The Chinns have not left for
lack of things to learn, words to
Said Cal in parting reniarks
to his gathered friends,
“I know I am going into a
situation where I’ll continue to
grow, because I chose that. My
prayer is that you will grow,
too.”
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