Post by blackcrowheart on Jul 17, 2006 9:24:00 GMT -5
Youth rally in Buffalo, powwow in Falls affirm determination to reinvigorate tribal traditions
By OWEN HEAREY
News Staff Reporter
7/15/2006
Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News
Frank Wolfe, 9, of Salamanca and other young American Indians compete in the Smoke Dance event during Friday's activities at their third annual Border Crossing Pow Wow in Niagara Falls.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Michael Preston of Gila River, Ariz., fans smoke with a feather during a convention ceremony.
Puffing on a cigarette outside the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 83-year-old Seneca leader Warren Skye watches over a small sidewalk blaze.
"While we have a council, we always have a fire going," he explained.
Keeping cultural traditions alive is a central theme of this year's United National Indian Tribal Youth convention, which held its opening ceremonies Friday afternoon. Hundreds of young American Indians from as far away as Alaska have gathered for the five-day conference, which organizers hope will inspire them to rediscover, and reinvigorate, their cultural heritage.
The event coincides with the third annual Border Crossing Pow Wow, hosted by the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, which kicked off Friday night with an Iroquois singing contest, smoke dance and social dancing in Niagara Falls.
Speakers at the youth convention implored attendees to recommit themselves to their Indian heritage.
"How many of you are proud to be Indian?" Leandra Bitsie asked the raucous convention audience again and again to growing applause.
A Navajo from Arizona, Bitsie first attended a UNITY convention 10 years ago in Oklahoma City, Okla. Now a former member of the National UNITY Council and a former co-president, she's made it her mission to inspire youth leadership and preserve the American Indian way of life.
"It teaches you to help support the progression of Indian peoples," she said after the ceremony. "When you learn about your identity, you learn about your personal responsibility to helping your people succeed."
Workshops planned for the remainder of the weekend - "Inspire, Motivate, Lead . . . Right Now!" and "Youth for Tribal Government" are two featured talks - drive home that message.
Skye, a member of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas affectionately called "Grandfather Skye" by many of those in attendance, recognizes the importance youth leadership plays in the survival of American Indian nations. He bemoaned the loss of Indian languages and cultures, and encouraged younger generations to take up the torch.
"This is a turning point," he said.
Over the last two years he campaigned to bring the convention to Buffalo, and his small fire - a UNITY tradition he started 12 years ago - is a reminder to the conference's young leaders of their personal responsibility.
"There's a fire burning inside of us - that's the real you," he said.
The Senecas' evening powwow in Niagara Falls put their culture on full display.
"The powwow is an opportunity for the Seneca Nation and all Native American people to celebrate our heritage and traditions," said Barry E. Snyder Sr., president of the Seneca Nation and chairman of the Seneca Gaming Corp. Originally, a powwow was a ceremonial gathering of medicine men or spiritual leaders to heal the sick. The modern powwow flourished after the end of World War II, when such gatherings began honoring American Indians returning from the battlefields.
"In the U.S. and Canada, it can be said that a powwow is taking place on nearly every weekend throughout the year," said Phil Pantano, a spokesman for Seneca Gaming.
Bill Michelmore of The News Niagara Bureau contributed to this report.
e-mail: ohearey@buffnews.com
By OWEN HEAREY
News Staff Reporter
7/15/2006
Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News
Frank Wolfe, 9, of Salamanca and other young American Indians compete in the Smoke Dance event during Friday's activities at their third annual Border Crossing Pow Wow in Niagara Falls.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Michael Preston of Gila River, Ariz., fans smoke with a feather during a convention ceremony.
Puffing on a cigarette outside the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center, 83-year-old Seneca leader Warren Skye watches over a small sidewalk blaze.
"While we have a council, we always have a fire going," he explained.
Keeping cultural traditions alive is a central theme of this year's United National Indian Tribal Youth convention, which held its opening ceremonies Friday afternoon. Hundreds of young American Indians from as far away as Alaska have gathered for the five-day conference, which organizers hope will inspire them to rediscover, and reinvigorate, their cultural heritage.
The event coincides with the third annual Border Crossing Pow Wow, hosted by the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel, which kicked off Friday night with an Iroquois singing contest, smoke dance and social dancing in Niagara Falls.
Speakers at the youth convention implored attendees to recommit themselves to their Indian heritage.
"How many of you are proud to be Indian?" Leandra Bitsie asked the raucous convention audience again and again to growing applause.
A Navajo from Arizona, Bitsie first attended a UNITY convention 10 years ago in Oklahoma City, Okla. Now a former member of the National UNITY Council and a former co-president, she's made it her mission to inspire youth leadership and preserve the American Indian way of life.
"It teaches you to help support the progression of Indian peoples," she said after the ceremony. "When you learn about your identity, you learn about your personal responsibility to helping your people succeed."
Workshops planned for the remainder of the weekend - "Inspire, Motivate, Lead . . . Right Now!" and "Youth for Tribal Government" are two featured talks - drive home that message.
Skye, a member of the Tonawanda Band of Senecas affectionately called "Grandfather Skye" by many of those in attendance, recognizes the importance youth leadership plays in the survival of American Indian nations. He bemoaned the loss of Indian languages and cultures, and encouraged younger generations to take up the torch.
"This is a turning point," he said.
Over the last two years he campaigned to bring the convention to Buffalo, and his small fire - a UNITY tradition he started 12 years ago - is a reminder to the conference's young leaders of their personal responsibility.
"There's a fire burning inside of us - that's the real you," he said.
The Senecas' evening powwow in Niagara Falls put their culture on full display.
"The powwow is an opportunity for the Seneca Nation and all Native American people to celebrate our heritage and traditions," said Barry E. Snyder Sr., president of the Seneca Nation and chairman of the Seneca Gaming Corp. Originally, a powwow was a ceremonial gathering of medicine men or spiritual leaders to heal the sick. The modern powwow flourished after the end of World War II, when such gatherings began honoring American Indians returning from the battlefields.
"In the U.S. and Canada, it can be said that a powwow is taking place on nearly every weekend throughout the year," said Phil Pantano, a spokesman for Seneca Gaming.
Bill Michelmore of The News Niagara Bureau contributed to this report.
e-mail: ohearey@buffnews.com