AUGUST 15, 2003
Smoke Signals 5
Mini Pow-wow Gives The Girls An Extra Venue
What started out as a practice turned into a family event.
By Ron Karten
At the Annual Contest Pow-wow
this weekend, three lucky prin
cesses will be crowned Queens:
Little Miss Grand Ronde, Junior
Miss Grand Ronde and Senior Miss
Grand Ronde. And when that
crowning comes, the winners will
have worked hard for it.
"Any girls that apply are made
princesses," said eight-year-old
Tribal member Nicole Haskins from
Gresham, "but you have to show
dedication for a year and follow the
pow-wow trail for a year (to get
picked as Queen)." Nicole would
like to be named Little Miss Grand
Ronde.
She was taking a break from a
mini pow-wow with her mom and
sisters Tribal members all out
side of the Community Center while
the NPRA Rodeo was in swing at
the Rodeo grounds down the road.
What started out as a practice
session turned into a mini pow-wow
for the afternoon where the tables
were pulled into a semi-circle and
20 or so visitors listened to the
drums and enjoyed the princesses
in practice.
During the break, Nicole and her
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Hopeful Princesses of all ages participated in a recent mini pow-wow held at the
Community Center, which gave the girls another chance to dress in regalia and dance
an afternoon away.
sisters, Valerie (seeking the Junior
Miss title) and Maria (seeking the
Senior Miss) and their mom, Carol,
describe some of the regalia and the
process that leads to further hon
ors. Nicole described her Prayer
Dancer regalia as being made with
lids from Copenhagen tobacco. The
name of a Tribal member is in
scribed inside each one, before the
metal pieces are shaped into the
form of bells, which jingle as she
dances. The idea is that the
prayers "turn into smoke and get
lifted up to the Creator to keep
Tribal members away from drugs
and alcohol."
Valerie's regalia was for the
Jingle Dress Dance but she de
scribed some of what she has to
know to become Queen. "Classes
on etiquette," Carol said. "What
does that mean?"
"How to be a lady," said Valerie.
"It's really fun," said Valerie, "but
a lot of hard work, too. You get up
really early. You do what you're
asked," she said.
"Who's on Tribal Council?" Carol
asked her.
She went down the list.
"Who are the five Tribes of the
Grand Ronde?" Carol asked Nicole.
"Chasta, Umpqua, Molalla, Rogue
River, Kalapuya."
"How much land does the Tribe
hold?"
"Twelve thousand two hundred
and twenty five acres."
"How many members?"
"Four thousand eight hundred."
Maria wore Woman's Traditional
regalia. She smiled as the questions
came and went. She seemed to
know that these were the right an
swers. Inside, the drums were beating
and the three melded onto the dance
floor with many others who knew
what they knew and danced like
they danced, their arms and regalia
flying out freely, like the wind.
Cultural Coalition Planning
Committee Meeting Held
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Planning Session Tribal members made their voices heard at the Cultural
Coalition Planning Committee meeting, held at the governance center recently.
The group hopes to develop a plan to access funding from the Oregon Cultural
Trust Fund, established in 2001 to provide grants to Tribes and other cultural
organizations. From left are: Elaine LaBonte, Marilee Norwest and Jocelyn Kirk.
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Monkey Mania Polly Schuitz
(left) of the Oregon Primate Rescue
Program talks to the Tribal youth
about the eating habits of monkeys
on Friday, July 25 at the Tribal
Gymnasium.
Monkey Food Tribal youth
Laurisa Logan, 6 (right) put
sunflower seeds in an apple for
monkeys at the Oregon Primate
Rescue Program. The monkeys
spend hours digging out the
sunflower seeds and eating them.
Schuitz said, "it's one good way to
keep them occupied for a while."
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