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RED LAKE’S FIRST ELDERS SUMMIT
Anishaa (Just for Fun) Tops Agenda
Anishaa (Just for Fun) Tops Agenda
By Michael Meuers
More than 330 Elders attended what Red Lake hopes will be it’s first annual
Elders Summit at Seven Clans Casino - Red Lake -on Thursday and Friday March
31 and April 1, 2011. Much of the agenda for the Summit was just good fun.
Upon entering the complex, one would see several informational booths
describing Tribal Programs and businesses scattered around the edge of the
Hotel lobby. Many programs provided many give-a-ways.
A mixing of youth and elders made for much of the fun of the event. Young
volunteers from the High School Youth Council, high school girls and boys
basketball players, and AmeriCorps performed needed tasks during the event,
including serving the elders during lunch and supper times.
“This is one of the things we were looking for in the Elders Conference”, said
organizer Thelma May, “we wanted to have youth and elders mixing together,
learning together, having fun together and enjoying each other”.
Drawings were held throughout the event for door prizes, most of small value, so
that nearly everyone won something. The first 300 registrants received a T-shirts
with a colorful logo “Honoring Our Elders written in Ojibwe on the front and in
English on the back. All also received tote bags with some give-a-ways inside
with the same colorful logo “Ezhi-apiitenimindwaa Gigichi-aya'aaminaanig”
(Honoring Our Elders) written in Ojibwe.
Opening
The event began with registration on Thursday beginning at 8 AM. At 9 AM
Spiritual Elder Eugene Stillday offered the invocation, followed by drum songs by
the Red Lake Singers, and then a welcome by Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd
Jourdain, Jr.
At 10:30 AM, Red Lake Nation Royalty, dressed in full regalia, took their turns
providing a dance exhibition. Johnny Smith was the emcee, and shared
knowledge of the various dances exhibited. Much to the delight of all present,
many of the young people introduced themselves to the elders speaking Ojibwe,
some fluently, a testament to the revitalization of culture and language that has
been going on at Red Lake and in Indian Country.
Following a fun session called “Test Your Knowledge” conducted by Devery
Fairbanks , young people then kicked into gear, and with a plate in each hand
gathered soup, sandwich, fruit, and beverage and delivered lunch to their sitting
elders.
Project Preserve
At 1:30 Diane Schwanz of Project Preserve took the stage to present a video
production entitled “Indian Humor Three”, that included several running humorous
skits. Schwanz was joined on stage with three of the young actors who appear in
the production.
The young actors included Kelly Iceman who played Chef Comod Bod Jr. who was
trying to lose weight. Shinese Rosebear played the USDA Princess, the Chef’s
weight loss coach, and Keisha Shoboyea played a woman cop.
Schwanz herself played a non-Indian (appropriately typecast) selling produce on
the reservation who was arrested by “Red Cloud” from Pine Ridge. Schwanz
protested that she had a “license to sell” issued by the Tribal Council. Other
players included the high school’s principal and librarian who answered questions
to determine who would be adopted into the tribe in this year’s “Wannabee”
contest. Patrick Desjarlait was the host. It was delightful, creative, and humorous.
Schwanz spoke a little bit about the the series of Project Preserve video
productions. Eight DVD’s have been produced in all, beginning with the
basketball classic “Undefeated”. * (See end story about this game)
Following the entertaining video, Darren Defoe, Lee Lussier, and Wesley Jourdain
provided a hand drum demonstration enjoyed by all at about 2:30 PM.
From 3:00 to 6:00 PM open activities were scheduled that included manicures,
scalp massages, limo rides, and a wandering magician. Supper was served
around 5: PM.
At 6:00 PM, entertainment was provided Moccasin Joe (Comedian and
Motivational Speaker). Moccasin Joe (aka Leonard Dick) is from Northern
Ontario and of Ojibwe, French and Scottish heritage. A former correctional officer,
he developed the fictional stereotypical Indian character Moccasin Joe as a
comedy act and a workshop entitled “Healing Through the Spirit of Humor and
Laughter”. He also does a few magic tricks, and by his own admission “is always
trying to impress the ladies”. A gentle man and generous soul, he closed with
letting everyone know he will appear for nothing if you can’t afford him.
The evening closed with what was billed as “the Late Night Session”, which
included both a Black Jack Tournament, and Cribbage Tournament.
Keynote Speech: Cecilia Fire Thunder
On Friday, the day began with registration again from 8 to 9 AM. At about 9:30 a
large audience anticipated words from the “Keynote Speaker” of the conference,
Cecilia Fire Thunder. Cecilia was a favorite among many of the women...and men
in the audience. She used humor in her speech about some very serious issues.
Fire Thunder was born October 24, 1946, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She has
worked as a nurse, and served as tribal president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of
South Dakota.
She was elected as the first female leader of the Oglala Sioux on November 2,
2004, She has been active in efforts to recover and revive use of the Lakota
language, which she speaks fluently. She was one of the original founders of the
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). She formerly worked
for Cangleska, Inc., a domestic violence shelter.
President Fire Thunder was and is a determined woman. She received wide
public attention in March 2006 for her declaration of intent to create a Planned
Parenthood clinic on her own land. She focused on the need to address rape as
an issue for South Dakota women, particularly Native American women. One in
six American women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape, according to
the National Crime Victimization Survey. The average annual rate of rape and
sexual assault among American Indians is three and a half times higher than the
national average.
“We're missing out on teaching our boys and men about what they need to do to
avoid pregnancies”, said Fire Thunder. “We need to start talking about those
issues. Americans should be outraged about the number of women who are
raped in this country. We need to also speak out for women in places like
Afghanistan and other war-torn areas where rape is happening. This is not new.
Rape has always been a part of life. Unfortunately, the world is not always a safe
place for women”, she said.
“Women in America have something that women in other parts of the world don't
have. Women in this country don't appreciate their right to free speech. Women in
America can be the voice of women around the world. This is a call to arms by
women in the United States”, Fire Thunder declared.
Fire Thunder closed her keynote speech with a bit of wry humor. She said she
would consider running for the State Legislature in SD. Remembering the last
presidential election with the blonde smiling “trophy” wives behind their white men,
Fire Thunder said she would find a trophy husband about 6 ft. 7 in. tall, with long
hair, a flat belly where you could see his belt buckle, long curly hair, and a single
earring to stand behind her and smile sweetly.
Closing
Things then loosened up a bit with a “Talent/Variety Show” closing out the morning
and the conference. Judy Roy, Anna Gibbs, Royce Graves, Elizabeth “Pug”
Kingbird, Bill Butcher and Johnny Smith vied for first, second and third place prizes
determined by the applause of the audience. Smith, much to the amusement of
all, did a song he wrote than included a verse about tribal secretary Donald Cook..
Kingbird told a story of three little pigs in Ojibwe, and although not understood by
all, brought chuckles from those who were “fluent listeners”.
Lunch and a traveling song closed out the first annual Elders Conference.
Personal Afterword re: Gichi-aya’a and Mindimooye: Why an Elders Conference?
Why do Indians refer to “Senior Citizens” as Elders? Why does there seem to be
so much more respect for “Elders” among American Indians than among other
parts of “American Society”? These are questions this reporter has heard from
non-Indians again and again, and questions that concern me more the older I get.
And so I approached an elder and fluent Ojibwe speaker, Eugene Stillday for the
answer. Stillday replied that “respect for elders is contained within the language”.
He told me the word for “Elder” in Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe language) is gichi-aya'a
which literally means “great being” and mindimooye is a word for female elder or
family matriarch that literally means “one who holds things together”.
“When the literal meanings of “elder” mean such respectful things, then as said
earlier, respect is contained within the Ojibwe language, unlike English or many
other non-Native tongues”, said Stillday. “This is one of many reasons the
revitalization of culture and language is so important not only for American Indians,
but America in general”.
Listen up America!
*SIDEBAR DIVERSION: “UNDEFEATED”. “Undefeated”, the first video
produced by Project Preserve is about the Red Lake basketball team that went to
the State Championship in St. Paul for the 1997 Class A semifinal. They played
the Wabasso Rabbits (Waabooz coincidently means rabbit in Ojibwe) in what was
to become the biggest record breaking game in state basketball history. Without
a doubt in this reporter’s mind - Red Lake vs Wabasso was THE most entertaining
basketball game I have ever seen in person! A truly unbelievable game! It was at
a whole different level when it comes to a complete game, if only for Gerald
Kingbird's sheer MAGIC in the final minute+ of the game.
It was the ultimate high," Red Lake junior center at the time, Delwyn Holthausen
recalls. "Red Lake's championship aspirations resulted in one of the wildest
games in the tournament's 80-year history. The Warriors' coast-to-coast, down-
your-throat style was matched by Wabasso - a small town in southern Minnesota-to
produce the highest scoring game in a Minnesota state tournament. Red Lake
trailed by 18 points with four minutes to play but rallied behind the “unconscious”
performance of then-sophomore guard Gerald Kingbird, who scored 19 fourth-
quarter points, including 13 in the final 1:15 of regulation.
The game went to overtime tied at 105-105. Wabasso pulled the game out 117-
113, but the Warriors finally got the statewide recognition that had been denied
them in previous years. The 230 points scored is still the highest in the tournament’
s nearly 100 year history.
That attention to the team brought pride to Native Americans across Minnesota. It
was expected that when the team made the 250-mile trip to St. Paul, all of Red
Lake would follow and the last person out of town “would turn off the lights”. But the
Warriors had no idea what impact they would have on the state's other Indian
tribes. There were anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 Indians that came to the state
tournament to cheer them on. In the end both teams embraced, and the Warriors
lost with style.
More than 330 Elders attended what Red Lake hopes will be it’s first annual
Elders Summit at Seven Clans Casino - Red Lake -on Thursday and Friday March
31 and April 1, 2011. Much of the agenda for the Summit was just good fun.
Upon entering the complex, one would see several informational booths
describing Tribal Programs and businesses scattered around the edge of the
Hotel lobby. Many programs provided many give-a-ways.
A mixing of youth and elders made for much of the fun of the event. Young
volunteers from the High School Youth Council, high school girls and boys
basketball players, and AmeriCorps performed needed tasks during the event,
including serving the elders during lunch and supper times.
“This is one of the things we were looking for in the Elders Conference”, said
organizer Thelma May, “we wanted to have youth and elders mixing together,
learning together, having fun together and enjoying each other”.
Drawings were held throughout the event for door prizes, most of small value, so
that nearly everyone won something. The first 300 registrants received a T-shirts
with a colorful logo “Honoring Our Elders written in Ojibwe on the front and in
English on the back. All also received tote bags with some give-a-ways inside
with the same colorful logo “Ezhi-apiitenimindwaa Gigichi-aya'aaminaanig”
(Honoring Our Elders) written in Ojibwe.
Opening
The event began with registration on Thursday beginning at 8 AM. At 9 AM
Spiritual Elder Eugene Stillday offered the invocation, followed by drum songs by
the Red Lake Singers, and then a welcome by Red Lake Tribal Chairman Floyd
Jourdain, Jr.
At 10:30 AM, Red Lake Nation Royalty, dressed in full regalia, took their turns
providing a dance exhibition. Johnny Smith was the emcee, and shared
knowledge of the various dances exhibited. Much to the delight of all present,
many of the young people introduced themselves to the elders speaking Ojibwe,
some fluently, a testament to the revitalization of culture and language that has
been going on at Red Lake and in Indian Country.
Following a fun session called “Test Your Knowledge” conducted by Devery
Fairbanks , young people then kicked into gear, and with a plate in each hand
gathered soup, sandwich, fruit, and beverage and delivered lunch to their sitting
elders.
Project Preserve
At 1:30 Diane Schwanz of Project Preserve took the stage to present a video
production entitled “Indian Humor Three”, that included several running humorous
skits. Schwanz was joined on stage with three of the young actors who appear in
the production.
The young actors included Kelly Iceman who played Chef Comod Bod Jr. who was
trying to lose weight. Shinese Rosebear played the USDA Princess, the Chef’s
weight loss coach, and Keisha Shoboyea played a woman cop.
Schwanz herself played a non-Indian (appropriately typecast) selling produce on
the reservation who was arrested by “Red Cloud” from Pine Ridge. Schwanz
protested that she had a “license to sell” issued by the Tribal Council. Other
players included the high school’s principal and librarian who answered questions
to determine who would be adopted into the tribe in this year’s “Wannabee”
contest. Patrick Desjarlait was the host. It was delightful, creative, and humorous.
Schwanz spoke a little bit about the the series of Project Preserve video
productions. Eight DVD’s have been produced in all, beginning with the
basketball classic “Undefeated”. * (See end story about this game)
Following the entertaining video, Darren Defoe, Lee Lussier, and Wesley Jourdain
provided a hand drum demonstration enjoyed by all at about 2:30 PM.
From 3:00 to 6:00 PM open activities were scheduled that included manicures,
scalp massages, limo rides, and a wandering magician. Supper was served
around 5: PM.
At 6:00 PM, entertainment was provided Moccasin Joe (Comedian and
Motivational Speaker). Moccasin Joe (aka Leonard Dick) is from Northern
Ontario and of Ojibwe, French and Scottish heritage. A former correctional officer,
he developed the fictional stereotypical Indian character Moccasin Joe as a
comedy act and a workshop entitled “Healing Through the Spirit of Humor and
Laughter”. He also does a few magic tricks, and by his own admission “is always
trying to impress the ladies”. A gentle man and generous soul, he closed with
letting everyone know he will appear for nothing if you can’t afford him.
The evening closed with what was billed as “the Late Night Session”, which
included both a Black Jack Tournament, and Cribbage Tournament.
Keynote Speech: Cecilia Fire Thunder
On Friday, the day began with registration again from 8 to 9 AM. At about 9:30 a
large audience anticipated words from the “Keynote Speaker” of the conference,
Cecilia Fire Thunder. Cecilia was a favorite among many of the women...and men
in the audience. She used humor in her speech about some very serious issues.
Fire Thunder was born October 24, 1946, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. She has
worked as a nurse, and served as tribal president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe of
South Dakota.
She was elected as the first female leader of the Oglala Sioux on November 2,
2004, She has been active in efforts to recover and revive use of the Lakota
language, which she speaks fluently. She was one of the original founders of the
National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). She formerly worked
for Cangleska, Inc., a domestic violence shelter.
President Fire Thunder was and is a determined woman. She received wide
public attention in March 2006 for her declaration of intent to create a Planned
Parenthood clinic on her own land. She focused on the need to address rape as
an issue for South Dakota women, particularly Native American women. One in
six American women has been the victim of rape or attempted rape, according to
the National Crime Victimization Survey. The average annual rate of rape and
sexual assault among American Indians is three and a half times higher than the
national average.
“We're missing out on teaching our boys and men about what they need to do to
avoid pregnancies”, said Fire Thunder. “We need to start talking about those
issues. Americans should be outraged about the number of women who are
raped in this country. We need to also speak out for women in places like
Afghanistan and other war-torn areas where rape is happening. This is not new.
Rape has always been a part of life. Unfortunately, the world is not always a safe
place for women”, she said.
“Women in America have something that women in other parts of the world don't
have. Women in this country don't appreciate their right to free speech. Women in
America can be the voice of women around the world. This is a call to arms by
women in the United States”, Fire Thunder declared.
Fire Thunder closed her keynote speech with a bit of wry humor. She said she
would consider running for the State Legislature in SD. Remembering the last
presidential election with the blonde smiling “trophy” wives behind their white men,
Fire Thunder said she would find a trophy husband about 6 ft. 7 in. tall, with long
hair, a flat belly where you could see his belt buckle, long curly hair, and a single
earring to stand behind her and smile sweetly.
Closing
Things then loosened up a bit with a “Talent/Variety Show” closing out the morning
and the conference. Judy Roy, Anna Gibbs, Royce Graves, Elizabeth “Pug”
Kingbird, Bill Butcher and Johnny Smith vied for first, second and third place prizes
determined by the applause of the audience. Smith, much to the amusement of
all, did a song he wrote than included a verse about tribal secretary Donald Cook..
Kingbird told a story of three little pigs in Ojibwe, and although not understood by
all, brought chuckles from those who were “fluent listeners”.
Lunch and a traveling song closed out the first annual Elders Conference.
Personal Afterword re: Gichi-aya’a and Mindimooye: Why an Elders Conference?
Why do Indians refer to “Senior Citizens” as Elders? Why does there seem to be
so much more respect for “Elders” among American Indians than among other
parts of “American Society”? These are questions this reporter has heard from
non-Indians again and again, and questions that concern me more the older I get.
And so I approached an elder and fluent Ojibwe speaker, Eugene Stillday for the
answer. Stillday replied that “respect for elders is contained within the language”.
He told me the word for “Elder” in Ojibwemowin (Ojibwe language) is gichi-aya'a
which literally means “great being” and mindimooye is a word for female elder or
family matriarch that literally means “one who holds things together”.
“When the literal meanings of “elder” mean such respectful things, then as said
earlier, respect is contained within the Ojibwe language, unlike English or many
other non-Native tongues”, said Stillday. “This is one of many reasons the
revitalization of culture and language is so important not only for American Indians,
but America in general”.
Listen up America!
*SIDEBAR DIVERSION: “UNDEFEATED”. “Undefeated”, the first video
produced by Project Preserve is about the Red Lake basketball team that went to
the State Championship in St. Paul for the 1997 Class A semifinal. They played
the Wabasso Rabbits (Waabooz coincidently means rabbit in Ojibwe) in what was
to become the biggest record breaking game in state basketball history. Without
a doubt in this reporter’s mind - Red Lake vs Wabasso was THE most entertaining
basketball game I have ever seen in person! A truly unbelievable game! It was at
a whole different level when it comes to a complete game, if only for Gerald
Kingbird's sheer MAGIC in the final minute+ of the game.
It was the ultimate high," Red Lake junior center at the time, Delwyn Holthausen
recalls. "Red Lake's championship aspirations resulted in one of the wildest
games in the tournament's 80-year history. The Warriors' coast-to-coast, down-
your-throat style was matched by Wabasso - a small town in southern Minnesota-to
produce the highest scoring game in a Minnesota state tournament. Red Lake
trailed by 18 points with four minutes to play but rallied behind the “unconscious”
performance of then-sophomore guard Gerald Kingbird, who scored 19 fourth-
quarter points, including 13 in the final 1:15 of regulation.
The game went to overtime tied at 105-105. Wabasso pulled the game out 117-
113, but the Warriors finally got the statewide recognition that had been denied
them in previous years. The 230 points scored is still the highest in the tournament’
s nearly 100 year history.
That attention to the team brought pride to Native Americans across Minnesota. It
was expected that when the team made the 250-mile trip to St. Paul, all of Red
Lake would follow and the last person out of town “would turn off the lights”. But the
Warriors had no idea what impact they would have on the state's other Indian
tribes. There were anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 Indians that came to the state
tournament to cheer them on. In the end both teams embraced, and the Warriors
lost with style.
| Click on Poster for larger view |
Many info booths were set up around the
perimeter of the hotel lobby, here two
young women give away samples of World
Famous Red Lake Walleye
perimeter of the hotel lobby, here two
young women give away samples of World
Famous Red Lake Walleye
Cheri Goodwin, organizer and sometime
emcee interviews with Lakeland News
emcee interviews with Lakeland News
Desiree Wilson answers questions at the
Tribal Secretary’s booth, Don Cook
Tribal Secretary’s booth, Don Cook
The info booth for Tribal Courts
Girls basketball coach Randy Holthusen
interviews with Lakeland News. Randy’s team
were some of the young volunteers for the event
interviews with Lakeland News. Randy’s team
were some of the young volunteers for the event
Red Lake Royalty danced for the elders in full
regalia. Here we have Red Lake Princesses
regalia. Here we have Red Lake Princesses
Red Lake Braves do a demonstration of dance
Red Lake Braves. When royalty introduced
themselves, many spoke in Ojibwe much to the
delight of the elders
themselves, many spoke in Ojibwe much to the
delight of the elders
Red Lake youth volunteers were present and
helpful for the entire conference, they included
the High School Youth Council, the girls and
boys basketball teams, and AmeriCorps
helpful for the entire conference, they included
the High School Youth Council, the girls and
boys basketball teams, and AmeriCorps
Myrna Hardy with AmeriCorp visits
Diane Schwanz showed the Project Preserve
video, Indian Humor Three. With her are actors
Kelly Iceman, Shinese Rosebear, and Keisha
Shoboyea
video, Indian Humor Three. With her are actors
Kelly Iceman, Shinese Rosebear, and Keisha
Shoboyea
Darren Defoe, Lee Lussier, and Wesley
Jourdain provided a hand drum demonstration
Jourdain provided a hand drum demonstration
Moccasin Joe provided humor at the end of
day one
day one
Keynote speaker Cecilia Fire Thunder was a
favorite of the crowd
favorite of the crowd
Organizer Thelma May was pleased
with the turnout
with the turnout
Youth and elders mixed and
enjoyed each other
enjoyed each other
Another young volunteer sees if there is
enough coffee and water on the tables
enough coffee and water on the tables
Eugene Stillday visits with keynote speaker
Cecilia Fire Thunder
Cecilia Fire Thunder
Cecilia Fire Thunder visited with many after
her presentation
her presentation
Volunteer Delwyn Holthusen’s many jobs
was operating the spot light
was operating the spot light
Young volunteers working the crowd
Thelma May and Dale Graves
Royce Graves shows off his championship
style in grass dancing as part of a talent show
style in grass dancing as part of a talent show
And Johnny Smith played guitar and sang
Bobbie and Delwyn Holthusen
Talent show participants, left to right: Johnny
Smith, Bill Butcher, Royce Graves, Judy Roy
and Elizabeth Kingbird
Smith, Bill Butcher, Royce Graves, Judy Roy
and Elizabeth Kingbird
Anna Gibbs also participated in the talent
show speaking in Ojibwemowin
show speaking in Ojibwemowin
A splendid time was had by all
Many door prize drawings were held
throughout the conference
throughout the conference
Listening for their number for the next
door prize
door prize