2 SEPTEMBER 1,2008
Smoke Signals
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Fluctuating temps didn't affect attendance, dancers at 2008 Contest Powwow
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signal staff writer
It was so pleasant on the evening
of Friday, Aug. 15, for the start
of the 2008 Grand Ronde Con
test Powwow, it was easy to forget
that a lot of the hard work went
into setting up the grounds the day
before when local temperatures
reached 102 degrees.
It was the weekend of the first
Contest Powwow held on the new
powwow grounds. Called Uyxat,
meaning "trail," the name embraces
both the Trail of Tears endured by
Grand Ronde's forerunner Tribes
and also the beginning of a new
trail for Tribal members.
The powwow grounds received
its name on Aug. 5 when Tribal
Council adopted the Chinuk Wawa
word. On Aug. 13, Tribal members
blessed and smudged the grounds
in time for the first Contest Pow
wow to be held there.
In her powwow welcome on Fri
day, Aug. 15, Tribal Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy told the story
of the new name and said, "We want
you to meet old friends, dance and
have a good time. Let's celebrate!"
The weekend was a checkerboard
of hot, warm and cool weather
with temperatures again reaching
102 on Friday and 98 degrees on
Saturday. Sunday experienced a
major cool-down, only reaching 79
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degrees. -;
On Friday night, which was
surprisingly mild considering the
triple-digit heat of the day, Frank
and Susanna Garcia of Dayton vis
ited for the 7:30 p.m. Grand Entry.
They had been at the Oregon Coast,
where it was foggy and too cold, and
decided to stop at the powwow on
their way back. They were looking
for fry bread and still having fun
when darkness took over and a full
moon rose.
An ambulance and police were
there, but the only action for them
was "a few bee stings and scrapes,"
said Tribal member Dana Ainam,
powwow chair for 1 1 years.
Or, as Vernon Kennedy (Paiute)
said, "There's no news and I'm
glad."
Neither was talking about the
congested traffic along Highway 18.
Weekend travelers were headed to
the coast, to Spirit Mountain Ca
sino for the Wynonna Judd concert
and to the powwow.
Travelers, at times, reported
five- and 10-mile backups coming
from the east on Highwayl8 and
from the south on Highway 22 at
Valley Junction. The traffic woes
prompted powwow organizers to
postpone Friday's scheduled 7 p.m.
Grand Entry by 30 minutes.
But nobody was sitting and stew
ing under the big tent. More than
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Photos by Michelle Alaimo
Black Lodge was one of three host drums at the 2008 Grand Ronde Contest
Powwow. The group is from Washington state.
$39,000 worth of prizes, contributed
by the Tribe and Spirit Mountain
Casino, drew 215 competing danc
ers from across the United States
and Canada. Fifty craft and 15
food vendors, which is about the
same as last year, also attended,
Ainam said.
Among vendors this year were
Tribal members Kimberly Harris
and Jennifer Butler and Jennifer's
mother, Tribal Elder Cheri Butler,
who were raising money for David
Sears' annual Tribal float that ap
pears in Christmas light shows. In
2005, the float won a PGE award.
It takes a lot of work to put one
of these floats together, but, "When
you see everybody with their faces
in awe, it's worth it," Jennifer But
ler said.
Also at the powwow were four
naturopathic physicians, just
See POWWOW
continued on page 3