February 5, 2005
Page 9
Three Warriors celebrates 5 years
Spilyqy Tymoo, Wqrm Springs, Oregon
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Johnson: A lot
of family support
(Continued from page 1)
This means having to leave
her job at the post office on
occasion. Johnson is one of
only two who work in the
Warm Springs post office.
"When one's gone, then the
other has to be there all by
themself," she said, "and in or
der for someone to come over,
we have to contact someone at
a different post office within
central Oregon.
"And my boss, he wanted my
schedule for the whole year,
and it's going to be hard, but
he's willing to work with me."
She said she made certain
her duties as Miss Warm Springs
would not present a conflict at
work.
"They totally encouraged
me, told me what a lifetime op
portunity it was," she said.
In fact, her supervisor has
encouraged her to consider
training to become a postmas
ter after her reign has com
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pleted.
Johnson wore a long bur
gundy dress, with a leather belt
and long beaded necklace and
leggings with yellow highlights at
the beginning of the program
before adorning a traditional
beaded buckskin dress for her
dances.
"It started with my grand
mother. She made the belt and
leggings, and I added all the little
stuff," she said. "I just got done
with my cuffs. I just got done
with my strap.
"My uncle made my necklace
for me when I went to Europe."
On the buckskin dress she
wore, the fringes, she said, rep
resent water.
"When we dance, the fringes
move like waves, and with me
doing flowers (which also graced
her regalia) was like the flowers,
they need water, to bloom," she
said. "And water, water is really
important to people."
Johnson said she was a little
disappointed being the only con
testant Monday.
"I wish I had someone to not
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A powwow kept the activities
moving at the birthday
celebration of the Three
Warriors Market. Three drum
groups kept the beat for the
dancers who participated in
the intertribal and round
dancing throughout the
evening. Miss Warm Springs
Christine Johnson made an
appearance at the event
(left), and dancers of all ages
participated. The children
blew out the birthday candles
after singing Happy Birthday.
compete with, but share the mo
ment with, someone I can look
back and say, 'Yeah, we both ran
in the same year,'" she said.
During the question-and-an-swer
portion of the pageant,
conducted by judge Ellen Th
ompson, Johnson spoke of the
importance of maintaining tribal
tradition.
"We need to have our chil
dren come to the longhouse two
or three times a week," she said.
"And have the elders sit down
with themD that the girls may
learn how to prepare the food,
and the boys learn how to drum
and learn what the songs mean
to them."
She said she loves "being in
the longhouse," and spending
time with her family.
"My family here is really close,"
she said.
Accompanied by tribal elder
Bernice Mitchell on drum,
Johnson sang "The Bunnyhop
Song," which she said was a
"happy" song among women
who cooked in the longhouse
.kitchen.
The Three Warriors Market
Birthday Celebration included a
door prize raffle with items do
nated by Three Warriors,
Simnasho's Christmas Towwow,
Pepsi Cola of The Dalles, Coca
Cola of The Dalles, Paul Jack
son Wholesale Company of
Roseburg, and Howard's Meat
and Poultry of Portland. The
winners were:
Harvey Jim and Malic
Collins (Pepsi 5-gallon water
cooler), Stanley Simtustus and
Shawresa Bates (Pepsi caps),
Mike Collins (Pepsi t-shirt),
Eliza Jim and Tcryl Florendo
(Coca Cola cap), Mikayla Collins
and Julia Yahtin (Coca Cola seat
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Johnson graduated from
Pendleton High School in 1998
and then moved back to Warm
Springs.
"After I moved back, I just
started traveling," she said.
"That's when I went to Europe.
I was in Arizona for about six
weeks, and then I went to
Canada, just traveling to pow
wows." Johnson comes from a
large family, and many in her
family were in attendance at the
pageant. She comes from a fam
ily of five siblings, and her
mother is one of 10 children.
"So from my grandfather, al
together, there's 18 of us," she
said. "So there's just a lot of us."
All her aunts were cooking in
the longhouse kitchen, prepar
ing the meal served following
the pageant.
Johnson also rides horses.
"My grandmother and my
grandfather, they have five
horses, so that's one of the
things I do," she said.
" land beadwork," she said,
smiling as she showed off her
long, beaded necklace.
. . . V Ml WFX ))
cushion).
Kecyana Yellowman
(Howard's pen set), Roy Heath
(I loward's teddy bear). Chloe
Suppah and J.T. Killsfirst
(I loward's pop holders), Wanda
VanPelt (I loward's lunch box).
Fannie Waheneka, Delvina
Heath, Chuck Moody, Wilbur
Johnson, Elizabeth Bercerra and
Terry Keo (M&M t-shirt),
Patrick Mitchell (Paul Jackson
t-shirt), Tina (Paul Jackson hat),
Amy Suppah (M&M pullover),
Sage Flowers (M&M pullover).
Leah Suppah (golf balls),
Neda Wesley (large stuffed
M&M), Shamona Charley (me
dium stuffed M&M), Minnie
7-
&
Photos
Bred Cows, Bred Heifers
and Pairs offered
SALE
Mmrj 914 Stock CswWe
Frinarj 1& teeters fauf&p Bii Uk
Kstk MtJi Barry Rech tops I Hereford Bel Srit
Central Oregon Livestock Auction
MM75-38SI
TrcktSttaart
480-SS40
Charley, Lawrcn Slockish, Jacob
Frank, Ina Tohet and Sam Culps
(Three Warriors cap), Antone
Moody, Cal Queahpama and
Shirieen Killsfirst (Three War
riors coffee cup).
Nancy Culps, Priscilla
Frank, Tim Reddog, Sterling
Sampson and Jasmine (Three
Warriors Fifth Annual Birthday
shirt), Freda Wallulatum, Gene
Sampson, Lyda Flowers, Shelby
Moody and Miguel Frank
(Three Warriors 2004 t-shirt),
Antoinette Pamperien, Shawn
Frank, Katie Mae Smith, Chet
"Gearshift" Vanrelt, Brianna
Wolfe and Myron Scabbyrobc
(Simnasho Christmas t-shirts).
.
by Selena Boise
CALENDAR
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