6 JANUARY 1, 2005
Smoke Signals
Community Support Is Strong For Youth Pow-wow
First-ever event draws crowd to Willamina High School.
ByPetaTinda
The First Annual Native Youth
Leadership (NYL) Pow-wow was
held at the Willamina I ligh School
gym on Saturday, December 11.
"We haven't really came up with
a name for the pow-wow," said jun
ior Eric Sabin, the de facto leader
of the group. "We're still working
on that."
The pow-wow was coordinated by
Tribal youth in the NYL program,
along with the Tribal Education
Department. The Tribal Youth So
cial Services Prevention Program
helped fund the celebration.
The NYL kids decided earlier this
year that they wanted to hold a
pow-wow, both as a test of their lead
ership skills and simply because
they thought it would be a good
idea.
"We were just shooting around
ideas; there's not much stuff going
on in the winter, so the kids de
cided they wanted to have a pow
wow," said Youth Education Cul
tural Specialist Travis Mercier.
"They wanted to do something for
the community," he added.
Mercier said that he thought
that turnout was good for a first-time
pow-wow and that even though there
weren't a lot of people, everybody I
talked to was there to support those
kids," said Mercier.
With concessions and other
fundraisers, the kids raised enough
money to put a down payment on the
rental price of the gym, provided they
help clean up afterward.
"We really wanted to put on pow
wow," said Sabin. "We had to plan for
it a lot. There are so many steps, but
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Healthy Siletz Tribal member Elena Blacketer, 5, eats an apple during the first-ever Native
Youth Leadership Pow-wow. "They wanted to do something for the community," said Travis
Mercier.Youth Education Specialist, who was responsible for the event.
all those youth leadership conferences
paid off," he said.
"We also put it on for the kids we
know," continued Sabin.
"It's good because the little kids
watch us being respectful, but also
having fun. And that's what I want to
do. Be a youth leader."
Tribal member Chris Bailey, who
helped organize the event, was initially
reticent, saying "I'm the Barry Bonds
of youth education. I don't talk to reporters."
But when asked about the youth who
put oh the pow-wow, he was much
chattier.
' "IH talk about my kids forever," said
Bailey. "We have great kids. We have
kids who we can count on, are always
willing to participate, do the work and
are always willing to step up."
About 50 die-hard pow-wow fans
watched from the bleachers or perused
the vendors, while Nick Sixkiller em
ceed with his usual mix of jokes and
good-natured humor.
Photos by Peta Tinda
"It's good for these kids to be put
ting on this pow-wow," said Bobby
Mercier, a singer with Eagle Beak
drum group. "It's hard for us be
cause the Portland pow-wow was
tonight, but it should be pretty
good."
There were five drum groups at
the pow-wow and the Grand Ronde
Color Guard was there to bring
in and post the colors.
An extraordinary event was the
Apache Crown dancers from
Chemawa Indian School, who put
on an elaborately choreographed
dance routine that lasted over an
hour.
The kids made sure everyone
who came to the pow-wow was fed
with sack lunches they made
themselves.
Alicia Selwin, a NYL member,
said that she and her classmates
spent the better part of the last four
months preparing for the pow-wow.
"It was difficult making sure ev
erything was done right, making
sure everybody knew where they
were supposed to be," Selwin said.
"But it makes us feel good because
we did it and we're part of it."
Selwin thanked Travis Mercier, say
ing "we really appreciate all of the work
he did." Selwin also praised the Tribal
Education Department, saying, "They
did a really excellent job."
Mercier said he thinks that the pow
wow will grow "because we did take
care of people. The kids went around
and thanked every single person who
came," he said.
"And everybody there was there to
tally out of support. It was awesome."
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Leading Off Siletz Royalty leads the Youth Pow-wow's Grand Entry followed by Grand Ronde Tribal member Deitrich Peters.