12
S moke S ignals
JULY 15, 2018
Veterans retire Marcellus Norwest eagle staff
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
The eagle staff belong-
ing to the late Marcellus
“Marce” Norwest will have
a permanent home at the
Tribe’s Chachalu Museum
& Cultural Center.
On Thursday, July 12,
a day when temperatures
soared into the 90s, ap-
proximately 30 people
attended the ceremony
at the museum’s small
entryway plankhouse, in-
cluding several members
of Norwest’s family, to
retire the staff and parts
of his regalia.
Norwest was a U.S.
Army veteran who fought
in the Korean War and
one of the founding mem-
bers of the Grand Ronde
chapter of the Northwest
Indian Veterans Associa-
tion, and became a mem-
ber of the West Valley
Veterans Honor Guard.
He also was a driving
force for construction of
the West Valley Veterans
Memorial and initiated
the annual Veterans Pow-
wow, which was renamed
in Norwest’s honor after he walked
on in 2011.
Cultural Education Specialist
Brian Krehbiel, Cultural Advisor
Bobby Mercier and Cultural Edu-
cation Coordinator Jordan Mercier
opened the ceremony with singing
and drumming as the smell of sage
filled the air.
Grand Ronde Honor Guard mem-
bers Steve Bobb Sr., Raymond
Petite, Rich VanAtta, Al Miller,
Dennis Kleffner and Daniel Hel-
frich carried in the flags and the
staff. The staff was then given to
Cultural Center Specialist Jim
Holmes and Cultural Collections
Specialist Nick LaBonte.
Bobby Mercier covered the staff
with a white sheet and then ad-
dressed the crowd in Chinuk Wawa
and then English.
“We’re thankful for the teachings
that came with this (staff),” Mercier
said. “We hope no one forgets where
the powwow, staff and parts of his
regalia came from. … We are not so
much retiring it as we are placing it
where it will be held for our family.
We are praying that we never forgot
those things and our children never
forget.”
Holmes thanked the Norwest
Free Playgroup in
Grand Ronde!
*
When: First Thursday of each
month 10:00 am-11:30 am
Where: CTGR – Community
Service Center 9615 Grand Ronde
Road Grand Ronde, OR 97347
Who: Parents and caregivers of
children under 5 years.
Why: Come to play, have a snack
and have fun!
ters, Marcella Selwyn and
Marilee Norwest, as well as
Bobby Mercier for conducting
the ceremony.
“May you always be
surrounded by love and
warmth,” Bobb said. “Al-
though you probably don’t
need the blanket today.”
Bobb said the eagle staff
was donated to him when
Norwest was ill by Marcel-
lus’ wife, Sharon, and the
use of the staff dates back to
1986. However, the feathers
have been deteriorating and
the eagle staff was last used
during the 2017 Veterans
Powwow. Tribal Elder Deitz
Peters created a new one
that is now being used by
veterans.
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
“Last year it made its last
Tribal Elder Marcella Selwyn, above, is gifted a
trip around,” Bobb said. “It
pillow, after being gifted a Pendleton blanket,
needs to stand upright in the
by Tribal Elder Susie Lash, right, and Veter-
bag for a year, and now it
ans Special Event Board Chairman and Tribal
has been retired to Chachalu.
Elder Steve Bobb Sr., background, during the
retirement ceremony for the late Marcellus
Things like this are extremely
Norwest’s eagle staff, left, held at Chachalu
important to us as a people.
Museum & Cultural Center on Thursday, July
… It is important to be kept
12. Selwyn is Norwest’s sister. The staff will go
here with its spirit.”
on display at the museum in the future.
Selwyn said she thought
the ceremony was wonderful.
“I couldn’t wait for this day,” she
family for their gift.
said. “I am so overwhelmed, this
“It will treasured and well taken
really gets right to the heart. I’m
care of here,” he said.
really proud of my brother and that
After the ceremony was complete,
his staff will be here.”
attendees went inside Chachalu
Norwest echoed similar senti-
to enjoy refreshments. Bobb, the
ments.
Veterans Special Event Board
“I’m really proud of my brother
chairman, gifted Tribal blankets
and the boys for doing this for him,”
and pillows to Norwest’s two sis-
she said. “It is really sweet.” n