Indigenous Peoples Day a celebration of unity

WORLAND — The 2022 Indigenous Peoples Day at the Washakie Museum & Cultural Center Saturday brought together many cultures to listen and to dance.

Washakie Museum & Cultural Center Executive Director Marian Bender opened the celebration Saturday morning stating, “We are holding this celebration on the traditional territorial homelands of the Crow, Eastern Shoshone, Northern Arapaho and Sioux people. We are honored to have many members of those tribes here today.”

She introduced George Abeyta, a member of the Eastern Shoshone tribe and a direct descendant of Chief Washakie, “the great Shoshone warrior who is the namesake of our museum and our county.”

Abeyta, a member of the Eagle Spirit Singers and Dancers, is known throughout the U.S. and Canada as champion feather dancer, respected teacher, teaching at Ft. Washakie and a gifted athlete and coach, she said.

“He credits his success as an educator to the teachings of his parents and siblings as they were the ones who taught him the value of love, determination, respect, prayer, belief in self and hard work,” Bender said.

She added, “George and wife Tracy have four children and 12 grandchildren and it is for them that he works to honor the memory of his great-great-grandfather Chief Washakie and to uphold his belief that there is a time to make peace and time to fight for the rights, freedoms and privileges of his people.”

Abayta said his great-great-grandfather, Chief Washakie, was a “great spokesman and undefeated warrior. We honor his legacy by the good things we do each and every day.”

He told the story of Chief Washakie, who was originally from the Flathead country of Montana. At one point he was near death when a band of “fierce warriors” came upon him and remarked that he was near death. The leader said, however that “he still stands before us strong. He will be a leader for our people,” so they took him and cared for him.

“True to his words, Washakie became one of the greatest leaders of all time,” Abayta said. “The Eastern Shoshone remain in the Wind River Country because of him, we honor this great man as we gather in celebration of our ancestors, their resiliency, determination and will to live. Not only the will to live and survive but thrive as a beautiful people.”

Abayta then turned his attention to the Eagle Spirit Singers and Dancers who include members of both the Eastern Shoshone tribe and the Northern Arapaho tribe on the Wind River Reservation.

He told those gathered Saturday morning, and those in the afternoon, that “in the time of old” warriors would have ceremonies prior to hunts or battles and then celebrations following the hunts or battles “giving thanks to Heavenly Father for their blessings.” He said the telling of their successful stories through dance was the first powwow.

Then, he said the “Creator” encouraged them to share their dance with visitors.

“We believe songs and dances are prayers to Heavenly Father that He will bring blessings of strength and happiness to the people,” he said.

Every powwow begins with the grand entry that is led by the warriors, Abayta explained. He said that the grand entry in present day is still led by warriors but those warriors are veterans who have served in all five branches of the armed forces.

Abayta then paused and took a moment to recognize the veterans in the audience, noting. “Thank you, we honor you, we appreciate you and we applaud you for the sacrifices that you made to protect our rights, our freedoms our privileges and our way of life. We can’t thank you enough.”

On Saturday, the grand entry was led by Patrick Littleshield, one of the eagle staff carriers.

He said besides the dancers, the Eagle Spirit Singers and the drum keepers play important roles in a powwow. He said the drumbeat is the heartbeat of Indian America, the heartbeat of indigenous lands and as long as the drum continues to beat they will have a beautiful life.

The small powwow held during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Worland Saturday included performances of the men’s Northern traditional dance followed by the women’s rendition of the northern traditional dance. Abayta said traditionally the women were not allowed in the circle but would only dance on the perimeter. Of the three dancers who performed Saturday, two danced modern style inside the circle on the lawn of the museum and one, Isis Red Elk, danced old style, dancing in one spot, paying respect to the old ways.

Then came the grass dancers and Abayta explained that when they first arrived at a camping area the grass dancers with their stomping maneuvers would pat down the tall grass for camping and dancing, “calling upon Heavenly Father to bless this portion of Mother Earth, that it would be a good place with many blessings and happiness and celebration; it would be safe and there would be a good bounty.

This was followed by the jingle dress dancers whose dresses have metal cones to emulate the sound of falling rain. Abayta said this was their people’s way to recognize the importance of “life-giving water.”

It is also called the medicine dance and Abayta said that the story is told that a man whose daughter was sick, was praying to Heavenly Father and he had a vision of the dress. Once the dress was made and the medicine dance was danced his daughter was healed.

The men were up next again with the fancy prairie chicken dancers. Just as the prairie chicken puffs out his chest and his feathers to impress the ladies, so to do the warriors who become prairie chicken dancers.

Abayta said they are the “Most powerful male dancers that always win over the hearts of the most beautiful women.” He said the warriors noticed how the most beautiful and prairie chicken would win the hearts of the hens, and thus the best chicken dancers win over the hearts of most beautiful women.

The women followed next in the powwow with the fancy shawl dance, one of the “most modern and contemporary dances.”

Then came the men’s version of fancy dancers. He said warriors observed horses in battle and see how they danced and pranced with high energy side-to-side waiting for a battle

Keeli King who won people’s choice award and finished in fourth place at the 2021 World Championship Hoop Dance contest at the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, performed the “dance of skill” the hoop dance.

They concluded the powwow with the most modern dances the two step and the snake chain bringing people from the audience to dance with them.

Abayta said, “There is such division across America, it is opportunities like this where we bring people together as a unified people, brothers and sisters, under one Creator, we thank you.”