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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2015)
10 S moke S ignals JULY 15, 2015 'I will always remember this' POWWOW continued from front page “Chris was a big part of this and Justin was the ‘math’ guy,” said Leno. “Both were really respectful of what we wanted and respected the Tribe, and they really did good. I believe all of these workers know what it meant to the Tribe. This was not just another project. It was something that was going to be great and it turned out great.” Leno said that all of the timber used in building the arbor came from the Tribe’s Reservation lands and that each log was hand-picked for the project. White spoke on behalf of the en- tire crew when he said, “We are all proud to have had the opportunity to construct this for you guys.” White also singled out Erika Price of Akana for the design and engineering of the project. “When you look at this structure, this represents the strength of our Tribe,” said Leno. “We were termi- nated for 30 years. We stayed here anyway. We were here for a long time. We are here today and we will be here forever, and to me that’s what this ar- bor represents.” Tribal Council Secretary Jack Giff- en Jr. and members Chris Mercier, Ed Pearsall, Jon A. George and Ton- ya Gleason-Shep- ek joined Leno in blessing the grounds inside the arbor with tobacco. Cherokee Tribal member and master of ceremonies Nick Sixkiller said this event was something he would never forget. “I’m very humbled and honored to be asked to be here announcing this first powwow under this new arbor,” said Sixkiller. “I will always remember this.” Ojibwe Tribal Elder and Air Force Above, Culture Committee Vice Chair Marcus Gibbons dances in an Intertribal dance during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Friday, July 10. At left, Outgoing Veterans Senior Queen Savannah Ingram receives a hug from Goldie Bly during her and outgoing Veterans Junior Queen Amelia Mooney’s, left, honor dance during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Friday, July 10. On the right, Tribal Elder Betty Bly, Goldie’s grandmother, waits to hug the girls. Later in the night, Goldie was crowned the new Veterans Senior Queen. Photos by Michelle Alaimo veteran Linda Woods traveled from Michigan to Grand Ronde for the Veterans Summit and stayed for the powwow. Woods is a rare female eagle staff carrier and has been to the Reservation three times, where she said she feels at home. “I love it here. The people are very kind and loving and very welcoming here,” said Woods of her hosts. “I love the beauty, the trees and the Tribal Royalty, including Little Miss Princess Kaleigha Simi, second from right, and Princess KaileighAnn Taylor-Cox, right, hand out T-shirts and patches to veterans in attendance during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, July 11. woods. It’s just beautiful here.” Woods said she was as impressed with the new arbor as she has been with the people who host her annu- al visit to Grand Ronde. “I saw it on Facebook,” said Woods. “It’s just magnificent. It’s hard to put into words.” Tribal member and Veterans Special Events Board member Reina Nelson ran the show in the absence of Steve Bobb Sr., who was in Germany. “There were a couple of times this weekend when I just looked out over the grounds and I was overwhelmed,” said Nelson, who comes from a family of veterans. “I went to my first Veterans Powwow when I was a little girl and I still remember. So, it’s an honor to be able to do something like this for our veterans and to give back to them for all they have done.” Nelson said it was a busy week- end for everyone who worked to make the event a success. “We all came together and worked together and this powwow went very smoothly,” said Nelson. “It was incredible to be under the new arbor and it felt good to know that See POWWOW continued on page 11 Hailey Lewis-Little dances in an Intertribal dance during the Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Friday, July 10.
