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
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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.