6 MARCH 1, 2005
Smoke Signals
Chemawa Pow-wow Celebrates
Tine School's 125th Birtlhday
Moccasin Square Garden About 300 people attended the Chemawa Pow-wow on Saturday, February 1 9 in celebration of the boarding school's 1 25th Birthday.
Eight drums and about 50 dancers enjoyed the day's events. The Chemawa Indian Boarding School dates back to the 1870s and moved to its current site inKeizer in 1885.
Chemawa is the oldest continuously operating boarding school in the United States. School officials announced that their new dormitory will open next year and that razor
wire placed on a new fence surrounding school property will be removed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs at the student's request.
POW-WOW
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"You always want to see if it looks
the same," said Lee of her alma
mater. She had not been to a pow
wow at Chemawa in three years.
"I enjoy seeing the changes in
regalia," said Butler, who drove the
group in a new car that her daugh
ter, Jennifer, bought her recently
with bingo winnings. "They keep
getting better every year," she said.
"The styles. And how young they
start."
Alaska Native Rain Teeman
(Innupiak) and Bonnie Teeman
(Ojibwe) from Eugene started this
year at a New Year's pow-wow
sponsored by the Native American
Rehabilitation Association (NARA).
"This is a really good pow-wow,"
said Bonnie.
The pair said they will travel to
Montana, Minnesota and points be
yond before the year is out.
Eight drums, including two
played by students at the school,
provided the beat for the day's ac
tivities, according to Don Pigsley
(Yankton Dakota Sioux), a mem
ber of the school's Pow-wow Com-
I - S ...
Showcase Many vendors from all over the state attended the Chemawa
Pow-wow to sell and show off their homemade j ewelry and trinkets. Hairpins and
dream catchers were among the many various items for sell.
mittee. The drums
came from Washing
ton, Idaho and Or
egon. Some 50 dancers
participated.
A dozen or more
vendors provided an
outlet for loose
change in the crowd.
Margaret Place,
who sells the work of
many Tribal in
mates, said she
couldn't keep enough
chess sets for the de
mand. She also had
beautiful pieces
molded with "Alas
kan clay found after
an earthquake."
Another vendor's
concessions - includ
ing jewelry and trin
kets all were made
with horse shoe
nails.
"Let's Get It
Started" Nick Hall
carried the Eagle Staff
and lead the Honor
Guard at the 7 p.m.
Grand Entry at
Chemawa's 125th
Birthday Pow-wow.
is .... if-