PiWout -
2006 Veteran's Pow-wow
AUGUST 1,2006
Smoke Signals
Faces Of Pride Siletz Tribal Elder Gilbert Towner
(below) and Yakama Warriors' Society member Gil
Calac (right in headdress) were present at this year's
Veterans' Pow-wow held in Grand Ronde, July 7-9.
Nearly 20 flags (below right) were presented during
the posting of the colors on Saturday, July 8.
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Veterans Gather In Grand Ronde For Annual Pow-wow
Men and women of service honored by Tribal families.
By Ron Karten
Over the weekend, as many
as 300 Veterans came to Grand
Ronde for the 2006 Veterans'
Pow-wow held on the weekend of
July 7-9. "
As always, Vets converged on
Grand Ronde from all over. Ten
came from the Ira Hayes American
Legion Post in Arizona, said Gene
LaBonte.
"Gene gifted them with Tribal
gold pins," said Gene's wife Billie.
The Yakama Warriors Honor
Guard were on hand with eight
eagle staffs and two war bonnets.
World War II Vets were there.
Korean War Vets were there. Viet
nam War Vets were there. And
Iraqi War Vets, representing both
Iraqi wars, were there.
It was a hot weekend.
"When we set up we were in the
shade," said Community Elder
La Verne Hosford, 82, looking up,
even through the top of her vendor's
stall, into the unrelenting sun.
For the record, the weekend
brought on one case of heat stroke,
two of heat exhaustion and required
one band aid for a cut finger. The
Spirit Mountain Casino provided
ice, water and all kinds of refresh
ments for the Elders.
Marshall Tall Eagle "guestamated"
that he had given out 275 Medals of
Valor to Veterans at the event.
For Saturday night dinner, the
Tribe through the Veterans' Honor
Guard hosted about 800 people for
a chicken barbeque.
The next morning, the Tribe host
ed a biscuits and gravy breakfast
for the pow-wow community.
Native Dan Rupe, a Veterans offi
cer, presented the Tribe with a map
drawn in the early 1800s that was
used for getting the Tribes restored
more than a century later, as well
as a metal casting of an eagle and
the flag, and a shell necklace on
which you can see an eagle's face.
"Another Vet," said Billie La
Bonte, "stopped Gene and said, 'You
have done more for me in the last
hour than the U.S. government has
done for me in the last
32 years.'"
Though some vendors
expressed disappoint
ment with sales, many
said they were doing
very well, and others
were on hand as Veter
ans in appreciation of
the venue.
Navy Vietnam Vet
eran Danny Olinger
of Carlton was once
honored by the Tribe
for his service. "It's a
great great honor to
be here," he said. "I'd
support this pow-wow
anytime. It's an awe
some pow-wow. The
Vets couldn't ask for
anything but this."
"We were treated
like royalty," said Bud
and Cecilia Hegleaiup
from Dorena, Oregon,
who have been ven
dors at pow-wows for
25 years. '"You need a
sign? Here it is,"' said
Bud, quoting pow-wow
staff. "We were treated
real well. And with a
six-seven hour setup,
it makes life so much
easier for us."
Everyone was helpful, said Bil
lie. She made special note of Trib
al member Bobby Mercier, who
jumped in unasked to help bring
cases of water to the Elders.
Gilbert Towner (Siletz), also
known as Zeke, wrote after the
event: "I've been to a lot of Veteran
doings but none of them com
pared to the 'Grand Round' Vets
Pow-wow."
Tribal Council member & Veteran Reyn Leno
"Everybody seemed to be in the
right place at the right time," said
Gene.
The wind came out on Sunday
and the flags at the West Valley
Veterans' Memorial were flapping
toward the east.
They flapped for Veterans past
and present, for those who served
and those who died serving, and
this weekend, they flapped for Si
letz Tribal Elder Gerald Lafferty,
who passed on Saturday at his
home in Siletz. He was 75. Laf
ferty was brother to Grand Ronde
Tribal Elders Norma Lee, Kenneth
Lafferty, Margaret McAbee and
Juanita Lee.
"That leaves only four of us," said
Norma Lee, whose siblings origi
nally numbered nine.
"When he was young," said Tribal
Elder Val Grout, who was walking
at the pow-wow with Norma, "he
used to run around with my hus
band and I."
"I did all my crying this morning,"
said Norma. "Now, I have to be
around people."
Tribal Elder Bob Tom and Navy
Vet Nick Sixkiller (Cherokee)
shared emcee duties. Victor Fry
(Chetco) served as Whip Man.
His wife, Johonna (Shoshone),
was Head Woman Dancer. Tribal
member. Deitz Peters served as
Head Man Dancer. David West
(Potawatomi), now living in Grants
Pass, was Spiritual Man. Tribal
member Miranda Provost was
Royalty Queen. Tribal member
Peter Nelson was Young Warrior.
And four-year-old Ebony Provost
was Honorary Princess. Volunteer
Barbi Parker sang the National
Anthem on Saturday.
Tribal Elder Marce Norwest, who
with his wife, Sharon, handed over
the job of organizing the Vets Pow
wow, to Gene and Billie LaBonte
two years ago, said he was well
pleased with the job his successors
were doing. B