Veterans Powwow brings participants together to celebrate

 

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

Wearing everything varying from jeans and T-shirts to traditional regalia­, and in some cases a mixture of the two, Tribal members and their guests from across the region danced joyfully at the 2024 Marcellus Norwest Memorial Veterans Powwow.

Toddlers in regalia clung to the hands of older siblings and occasionally tried to mimic a step or two, mothers danced with infants in their arms, parents and older siblings demonstrated steps for children as the drums pounded out the rhythm. A pair of young boys in regalia, each dancing alone, showed off their impressive dance moves.

The older girls in both the outgoing and the newly crowned Veterans Royalty danced in miniscule, perfectly timed steps while the tiniest children concentrated on staying in line, and family members walked behind them.

With a heat wave still lingering over the Pacific Northwest, keeping temperatures about 10 degrees above normal, Master of Ceremonies Nick Sixkiller (Cherokee) stopped the dancing periodically on Saturday, instructing the dancers to leave the arena and have something to drink before they returned.

Bad Soul was the host drum group. Battle Stone, War Face, 4 Directions and Northwest Connections also drummed and sang. Ed Wulf (Yupik and Athabascan) was the arena director.

Tribal Council Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy gave the invocation Friday evening. Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier, Tribal Council Secretary Michael Cherry and Tribal Council members Jon A. George, Matthew Haller, Denise Harvey and Brenda Tuomi also participated 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.

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. (Photos by Michelle Alaimo)

Veterans led the procession into the uyxat Powwow Grounds arbor, followed by the Tribal Council, Veterans Royalty and dancers, as the audience stood in respect.

On Friday evening, Tribal Veterans Service Officer Ramona Quenelle (Pit River), a Navy veteran 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, veterans were invited to introduce themselves to the audience.

Powwow weekend began with the Veterans Royalty Pageant held Friday morning at the Governance 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 Queen Sophia Grout.

The outgoing 2023-2024 Veterans Royalty court consisted of Tiny Tot Warrior William Craig, Little Miss Veterans Princess Grace Macon, Little Miss Veterans Queen Ulali Quenelle, Junior Miss Veterans Queen Leloo Quenelle and Senior Veterans Queen Memory Leno.

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. (Photos by Michelle Alaimo)

The Veterans Summit and Resource Fair was held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the powwow grounds and included lunch, information and a keynote speaker from the reality T.V. show American Ninja Warrior. Abram Benally (Navajo) is a Navy veteran and was a 2018 competitor on the show. There was also an opportunity to try out an American Ninja Warrior obstacle course.

Ramona Quenelle organized the event, which was co-sponsored by the Office of Tribal Government Relations, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Native Wellness Institute.

Saturday featured a special opportunity to meet with 1964 Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota), also known as Tamokoce TeHila. Mills, a former U.S. Marine, is the co-founder of Running Strong for American Indian Youth. He remains the only Western Hemisphere winner of the 10,000-meter run, a record that has held for 60 years. His story is featured in the 1983 film, “Running Brave.”

Powwow dancing

Dancing is the best part of the powwow for Tribal member Levi Liebelt (Klamath, Modoc and Grand Ronde). Liebelt said he has been dancing the men’s traditional since he was a youth, with a break in his teen years. He resumed dancing 12 years ago.

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. (Photos by Michelle Alaimo)

“(I) go out into the arena and dance for me and my family, but also (take) the chance to be able to pray,” he said. “When I’m out there dancing, I pray for all my friends and family, and for everyone else.”

Frank Scott John (Sioux) said he also dances the men’s traditional and has been dancing since he was 17. He was taught by his uncle Crazy Bull, and his father is a dancer as well.

“My mom helped me with my regalia,” he said. “It’s fun and I love to dance a lot.”

A variety of vendors

Vendors set up booths throughout the powwow grounds. In the booth for Red Bear Flutes, vendor Shane Oglesbee played an Indian flute for prospective customers.

Oglesbee makes all his own flutes which consist of a variety of wooden and PVC flutes. The latter, he said, are “a great learning tool.”

Oglesbee said he never expected to end up playing flute, let alone making and selling them.

“A feller I met four years ago, Jon Two Eagles, he put the flute into my hands and said, ‘Play it,’” Oglesbee said. “I told him ‘I have mechanic hands; it’s not going to happen.’ And a few years later, here I am. It really does soothe the soul.”

He also sells aprons and other goods made by his sister-in-law.

Oglesbee said he’s just beginning to explore his Native heritage. “I think my grandmother was Siuslaw,” he said, but finding information is difficult.

“My grandmother said she was white; she was not,” he said. “She was still practicing, just in silence.”

On the other side of the booth, Dean Armstrong (Lakota) was selling strings of bells for male dancers, along with dance sticks and coyote and wolverine head mounts.

Armstrong, who said he made his own buckskin regalia and head mounts, also dances in the men’s traditional, which he has been doing for 8 or 9 years.

Powwow concluded Sunday with a final grand entry at noon.

The next powwow will be the Grand Ronde Contest Powwow slated for Aug. 16-18.