10
S moke S ignals
JULY 15, 2015
'I will always remember this'
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“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
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Hailey Lewis-Little dances in an Intertribal dance during the Marcellus
Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on
Friday, July 10.