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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2007)
JULY 1,2007 Smoke Signals 7 ROSE FESTIVAL continued from page 6 had three grandchildren that she loved spending time with. Petite passed away in 1993. Her daughter, Tribal member Julie De voy, said her mother was a warm and loving woman who was full of life and enjoyed reading, shopping, and going to the beach. Devoy said her mother told her that being on the rose court was the thrill of her life. An article in The Oregonian which was dated April 21, 1943, read "Youngest and tallest of the princesses to be named so far ... pretty Delores Petite, 16, choice of the Girls' Polytechnic high school for ruler of Rosaria. "Brown-eyed Delores is 5 feet 7 V inches tall and is definitely a princess with lots, and lots of poise. So much poise does this young lady possess ..." The article stated that Petite was born in Grand Ronde but lived in Portland for most of her life. It did not say anything about her being part of the Grand Ronde Tribe. The article also stated that "as her name indicates," she is of French descent. But 1943 was a time where there wasn't a lot of diversity on the Rose Court, at least if there was, it wasn't talked about. According to Tribal member Cheire Butler, Petite's half sister, she was not allowed to mention that she was Native American while on the court. This year marks the 100 year anniversary of the Portland Rose Festival, and with it comes a world of differences between 1943 and today. Although we are currently at war, it does not affect the fes tival. The parade still goes on. And a lack of diver sity is no longer a commonality. On this year's Rose Court, 18 year-old Mer cedes White Calf proudly states that she is Ogla la Sioux. An article writ ten about White Calf in The Or egonian does not say that she is Native Ameri can; this is likely because it is no longer a common practice to state a person s race or physical traits unless it is relevant to the story. But the article does state that she likes to attend pow wow's and is active with the Native American Youth Association. For the first time in Rosarian history, the Rose Court traveled to Grand Ronde to do a meet and greet with Grand Ronde Royalty and Tribal Elders. Each of the girls stood up and talked about who they are and what their aspirations are. Afterwards, they exchanged gifts and spent some time socializing with each other. "It was such an honor to come to Grand Ronde," said Mercedes White Calf. "I thought it was just so beautiful to see people, and because I'm native - my people, all coming together and supporting each other, and having communities where t - - ., : , Tribal Elder Kathryn Harrison and Rose Peters (Wind River-Shoshone) work meticulously on the giant Tribal logo that was part of the Tribe's float in this year's Grand Floral Parade. The parade celebrated its 1 00th year this year and has been recognized by USA Today as one of the top five parades in the nation. they meet and make things happen. ... It was good to see there are still people who make sure we don't lose our culture. "I would like to thank the Grand Ronde Tribe for allowing the Rose Court to come to their reservation. It was good for me to see the unity of the Tribe." Another first for the Rosarians was a special float in the Grand Floral Parade that was made for wartime princesses who did not get to participate during their reign. Phyllis (Turner) Huwa, 1943 Rose Festival Princess, was among those chosen to ride on the float and represent the wartime court of her time. Duvoy had an opportunity to speak with Huwa about her experi ences on the 1943 court and about her experiences with her mother. After a pleasant chat, Huwa re vealed that she planned to carry a picture of Petite on the float with her. Although Petite did not get a chance to ride on the Royal Rosar ian Float during her time, she did get to ride on the float in memory and in spirit this year. D : ---rqp 'IP' - I XT -, 'j I v ) r ' The Eagle Beak Singers (from left) Travis Mercier, Dustin Harmon, Shane Harmon, Bobby Mercier, Daniel Haug, Richard "Bubba" Sohappy, Dorian Soliz, and kneeling in front is Lawney Havranek drummed and sang throughout the entire Grand Floral Parade.
