Smoke signals., August 01, 2024, Page 13, Image 13

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AUGUST 1, 2024
13
2024 Veterans Powwow
Photos by Michelle Alaimo
From left, Ila Mercier, 10, Chánah Blackhorn, 8, (Northern Cheyenne/Navajo) and Shirleen Norwest, 10, (Klamath) compete in the junior girls team dance
special during the 2024 Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow at uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, July 13. The team took first place and the
special was sponsored by Little Miss Veterans Queen Ulali Quenelle and her family.
VETERANS POWWOW
continued from front page
Bad Soul was the host drum
group. Battle Stone, War Face, 4
Directions and Northwest Connec-
tions also drummed and sang. Ed
Wulf (Yupik and Athabascan) was
the arena director.
Tribal Council Chairwoman
Cheryle A. Kennedy gave the invo-
cation Friday evening. Tribal Coun-
cil Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Tribal
Council Secretary Michael Cherry
and Tribal Council members Jon
A. George, Matthew Haller, Denise
Harvey and Brenda Tuomi also par-
ticipated in the grand entry.
On Saturday, Jon A. George gave
the invocation and he, Mercier,
Cherry, Kathleen George, Haller
and Harvey participated in the 1
p.m. grand entry.
Veterans led the procession into
the uyxat Powwow Grounds arbor,
followed by the Tribal Council, Vet-
erans Royalty and dancers, as the
audience stood in respect.
Tribal Elder and Air Force veteran Jerry George is gifted a blanket by Senior
Miss Veterans Queen Sophia Grout during the 2024 Marcellus Norwest
Memorial Veterans Powwow at uyxat Powwow Grounds on Saturday, July 13.
The blanket, a water bottle and T-shirts were some of the items veterans in
attendance received.
On Friday evening, Tribal Vet-
erans Service Officer Ramona
Quenelle (Pit River), a Navy veter-
an herself, told the audience that
she wanted to “invite any veterans
in the audience to walk in the grand
entry tomorrow.
“You will not believe what you
feel when you come up here,”
Quenelle said. “As Cheryle said,
these grounds are healing grounds.”
After grand entry concluded, veter-
ans were invited to introduce them-
selves to the audience.
Powwow weekend began with
the Veterans Royalty Pageant
held Friday morning at the Gover-
nance Center Atrium. The results
were announced by Jon A. George
at a coronation event held at the
powwow grounds just before that
evening’s 7 p.m. grand entry.
The 2024-25 Veterans Royalty
Court consists of Tiny Tot Princess
Elesia Crawley, Tiny Tot Warrior
William Craig, Little Miss Veterans
Queen Ulali Quenelle, Princesses
Harper Hernandez, Elizabeth
Ulestad and Emmalynn Warren;
Junior Miss Veterans Queen Leloo
Quenelle and Senior Miss Veterans
See VETERANS POWWOW
continued on page 14
The Grand Ronde Honor Guard leads the 1 p.m. grand entry during the 2024
Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow at uyxat Powwow Grounds
on Saturday, July 13.