12
S MOKE S IGNALS
SEPTEMBER 1, 2018
Contest Powwow eclip
More than 330 dancers register for numerous dance categories
By Danielle Frost
Smoke Signals staff writer
B
uilding on the popularity of
last year, the 2018 Grand
Ronde Contest Powwow at-
tracted 337 registered dancers
during the weekend of Friday
through Sunday, Aug. 17-19.
Attendance marked an increase
of 62 dancers over last year’s 275,
even without the added bonus of
a total solar eclipse that occurred
in 2017.
Powwow Special Event Board
Chair Dana Ainam said that sev-
eral new dancers had registered to
compete in the 28 categories rang-
ing in age from 6 to more than 65.
“The weather for this weekend
is absolutely perfect,” Ainam said.
“We have had a lot of new people
register and also have lots of re-
turning dancers. Generally, people
love this and want to come back.”
Key to having people return year
after year is making them feel wel-
come, Ainam added.
“The most important thing we
can do is take care of people when
they are here,” she said. “No matter
what happens, we need to be good
hosts so our guests can remember
this community positively.”
It seemed as if Ainam’s mantra
had the intended effect, with Friday
evening’s 7 p.m. grand entry taking
17 minutes to complete as dancers
fi lled the Uyxat Powwow Grounds
Arbor.
Grand Ronde dancers won four
prizes, led by Leah Villa who took
second place in the Junior Adult
Women’s Traditional and Nacoma
Liebelt who took second place in the
Junior Boys Traditional. Kaleigha
Simi captured fi fth place in the Ju-
nior Girls Jingle and Leevi Johnson
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Nacoma Liebelt competes in the Boys Traditional dance category during the 2018 Confederated Tribes of Grand
Ronde Contest Powwow held at Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, Aug. 18. Liebelt placed second in the category.
took fi fth in the Junior Teen Boys
Traditional.
A total of $55,800 was awarded
for the dance categories.
Royalty Pageant
Contest Powwow activities began
at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 17, with
the Royalty Pageant and Queen’s
Brunch Raffl e held in the Atrium
at the Governance Center.
Tribal Council Secretary Jon A.
George was the master of ceremo-
nies and Tribal Council Chairwom-
an Cheryle A. Kennedy gave the
invocation.
Photo by Michelle Alaimo
Matisse Sohappy, left, competes in the Girls Jingle dance category during
the 2018 Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Contest Powwow held at Uyxat
Powwow Grounds on Saturday, Aug. 18.
This year’s Royalty Pageant
judges were Tribal Elder Leonette
Galligher, Spirit Mountain Casi-
no Marketing Director Shawna
Ridgebear and Youth Prevention
Coordinator Cristina Lara.
The only contested position on
Royalty was for Little Miss Grand
Ronde with Grace Allen and Sophia
Grout vying for the title.
Senior Miss Grand Ronde Isa-
belle Grout and Junior Miss Grand
Ronde Kaleigha Simi were un-
opposed. Tiny Tot, an honorary
position, had four participants:
Jameson Turner, Aubrey Campbell,
Gracie Macon and Kalea Liebelt.
That evening, Sophia Grout was
crowned Little Miss Grand Ronde
at Uyxat Powwow Grounds after
outgoing Royalty for 2017-18 gave
speeches and held giveaways in
appreciation for those who had
helped them during the past year.
Outgoing Royalty were Senior
Miss Grand Ronde Isabelle Grout,
Junior Miss Grand Ronde Kaleigha
Simi, Little Miss Grand Ronde
Sophia Grout, Junior Warrior Na-
coma Liebelt and Tiny Tot James-
on Turner. Grace Allen also was
crowned Little Miss Princess.
It was the right night to have the
last name Grout, as past Tribal
Council member and grandmother
Val Grout won several of the raffl e
prizes.
Outgoing Royalty members, led
by Cultural Resources Cultural
Advisor Bobby Mercier, did one last
dance around the arbor. Incoming
Royalty did the same following the
coronation.
Friday Grand Entry
Powwow began with the various
contest drum groups – Southern
Express, 4 Bands, Buffalo Hill, Bad
Soul and 4 Horses – each taking a
turn before grand entry. Drummers
were competing for a combined
$19,000 in prize money.
Friday’s grand entry was led
by Tribal Elder Alton Butler and
Wayne Chulik (Tlingit) carrying in
eagle staffs.
As host drum Cree Confederation
pounded out an honor song, Tribal
Elder Steve Bobb Sr. carried in the
U.S. flag, Tribal Elder Raymond
Petite carried in the Grand Ronde
fl ag, Tribal spouse Richard VanAt-
ta carried in the MIA/POW fl ag and
Al Miller carried in the Oregon fl ag.
They were followed by other veter-
ans, including past Tribal Council
Chair Reyn Leno. Next came Tribal
Council members, Tribal Royalty
from various Tribes and Contest
Powwow contestants.
All nine Tribal Council members
marched in Friday night: Kennedy,
Vice Chair Chris Mercier, George,
Denise Harvey, Jack Giffen Jr.,
Brenda Tuomi, Kathleen George,
Michael Langley and Lisa Leno.
Kennedy offered the invoca-
tion and welcomed attendees who
packed the bleachers and filled
many of the chairs set up around
the arbor, while the smell of sage
wafted through the air.
“This is a powwow that has been
going on before Restoration,” she
said. “Our maintenance people did
a good job locating the bees’ nests,
but please be careful because we
want you to enjoy this weekend.”
Grand entry closed with Royalty
members of various Tribes intro-
ducing themselves to the crowd and