American Indian Day

Te Ao Hou, July 1973, Page 45

American Indian Day by Intermediate American Indian Students of Keams Canyon School, Arizona U.S.A. On 9 October 1492, Columbus set foot on American Indian land. Beginning then, Indians accepted deals the white man gave them. The white man promised many things but kept only one promise, to take our land, and they took it. We are still waiting for land promised to us almost three centuries ago. But some things have changed since then. Today, I am grateful to white people for at least having Indian Day, in honour of American Indians. Indian Day is when we celebrate being Indian and show that we care much about our tribes. On that day we remember how Indians were, show how they are and may not be in the future. Many people need to the Indians helped the white people when they came to this New Land. Our parents come to Indian Day, most all the mothers, to see how well we have communicated with our elders. Before that day comes we have contests for the best posters and art, essays and poems, about Indians. And the day before, seventh and eighth grade students nominate and vote for a Host and Hostess from the lower grades, and a Brave and Princess from the upper grades. At ten o'clock on the morning of the main day, we have an assembly. All the contest winners are announced and given their awards. Awards are also given for the best costumes. The Host and Hostess and Brave and Princess are introduced and sit up in front. Different teachers take their pictures. This year there were speeches by our two Principals, a visiting Hopi Principal, and a Navaho Priest. Many students dress up like their ancestors years ago. The costumes are of different kinds according to tribe and ceremony, and whether you are representing a great war chief, a warrior, or a squaw. They are of brilliant or soft, natural colours and made of pelts, furs, wool cloth or cotton, and feathers and shells. Different kinds of Indians may come such as Hopi, Navaho, Apache, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Yuma, Zuni, Sioux, Mohawk, Pima and members of other tribes. Most of the Indians around Keams Canyon are Hopi and Navaho. After two or three dances by the small children everyone is hungry and goes as a guest to the dormitory dining room for a meal. We sit wherever we want. Some of our parents bring true Indian food, and the cooks make some. We may have real piki bread made of blue corn flour, ground on rocks, also chili beans, fried bread, and hommy stew. The cooks have to fill in with boughten food like white sandwich bread, chocolate cake and milk. Then we have a few minutes' walk back to the school for the main events. When the weather is dry there are games and races and other contests outdoors. Just about everybody's favourite contest is the girls' fried

bread contest out on the football field. The fried bread smells so good! Then watermelons are brought out and the boys have a contest to see who can eat the most watermelon. There is a tug-of-war, too, with two teams pulling the ends of a rope. Between the two sides there is a big puddle of mud. Whoever loses ends up in the puddle. Then come the Indian dances. Some are done like our ancestors used to dance. We're happy to show other people the different Dollie Kuwanyaimo, Serafino Youvella and Pearline Youvella dressed for dancing. Dollie and Pearline are wearing Haimis Buffalo costume and Serafino wears Apache dance costume A closer look at the same three girls kinds of dances we do out on the Reservation, like the Butterfly by the Hopi people, the Buffalo dance, some Apache dances, and the Navaho Feather and Round dances. Some of the dancers wear masks, headdresses made of fur and feathers, and have carefully painted designs on their faces and bodies. When the sun is shinging, and the ground is dry, the dancing is outside where mostly everybody can see everything. We can sit around the court or up on the walls outside the gym. We can also sit under the trees by the basketball court while the dancers dance to the beating of drums and the singing of Indian men. Indian Day is when you have the happiness of being Indian, the most joyful day at school. I think Indians need more of this kind of attention. Civilisation hangs in the balance because of us, the Kings of the United States! Because if Indians hadn't been here when the Pilgrims came, white people would never have made it. Indians taught them how to stay, alive, what to plant and how to do it, how Bella Grover and Rowena Choyou dressed as Apache dancers. All five girls are Hopi Indians

to hunt and how to fish. Before that, when Indians were all alone and there were no white people in sight, we would dance and sing and stay up all night and have fun. We would swim, and hunt, and go find a lot of food for the winter. On Indian Day we have a chance to go back a little to our old times and celebrate ourselves for one day, and sometimes into the night. A free day for the Indian! It's like having a day at home, at a dance of our own. We are proud to be Indians and know things which others don't know. Indians all over the world are brothers and sisters, but sometimes we fight among ourselves for this and that. And we sometimes hate white people, but I think we should all be treated alike. We all live here on this earth. We are all human beings so we should respect each other as brothers and sisters, including the white people. Both Indians and white people should be grateful for the things we have given each other. I am grateful that we have Indian Day, a day when Indians can be Indian. So if you are an Indian, be what you are, If you are a white, be what you are. Whatever you are, be proud of yourself! Now more contributions from secondary school pupils First, a poem written by Richard Ellison when a 15-year-old pupil at Hillary College. The wind blew swiftly against The cliff face The clouds spat insults to the earth, The sea surged in, thrusting The life from the creatures clinging For their worthless life. The waves hurtled forward— Crushed then burst against The rocky shore, exploding Into a cascade of bright- White orange, Then would slowly creep back Contented. The wind blew on, The clouds went on. The waves surged forward Engulfed all mass Then sneaked back, The cowards. Life was being stirred By some unknown power Destructive Protective — Nature Now one of three stories sent in by Raana Solomon, aged 15, of Spotswood College.