Call of the Drum

Dancers compete in Restoration Celebration powwow

By DD BIXBY

H&N Staff Writer

August 24, 2008

Grand Entry participants circle around the competition ring at the Klamath Tribes’ Restoration Celebration powwow Saturday. The competition powwow continues today at the Chiloquin High School football field, beginning at noon.

Two-year-old Ceceionna Perez hopped and bopped around a post propping up a shade tent over her family — sometimes with the beat of the drum circle and sometimes to her own beat — as the dancers in full regalia swirled and side stepped their way into the ring.

The girl, and several hundred others, gathered on the Chiloquin High School football field to celebrate the competition powwow at the Klamath Tribes’ Restoration Celebration Saturday.

Competition dancing and powwow events continue today at noon.

Ceceionna Perez, 2, of Chiloquin, bounces around the sidelines as dancers enter the competition ring Saturday at the Klamath Tribes’ Restoration Celebration powwow event.

Tom Smith, a Medford-area resident and member of the Rogue Valley Veterans, led the numerous dancers into the ring at noon. Men, women, boys and girls were in tribal dress for the competition.

Stopping in Chiloquin

Josette Wahwasuck and her family arrived in Chiloquin Friday night from Kansas, and were participating in the powwow events as they made their way down to Redding to visit friends and family.

Wahwasuck was at the Chiloquin powwow last when she was pregnant with her daughter, Alicia Schofield, now 12.

Both mother and daughter were dancing in the competition, Wahwasuck in women’s dancing and Schofield in junior girls dancing.

Though many participants were in tribal dress, tradition met with contemporary clothes as some not dancing sported feathers on beanies or baseball caps.

Popcorn for sale

Along the outer edge of the dance circle, vendors set up tents selling everything from fry bread to t-shirts. Ronald Rondeau, 10, of Klamath Falls, and Tristan Walker, 12, of Grants Pass were sitting in the shade of the Paul Jackson Shirts tents and were proud of their work Saturday.

“We’ve sold $120 worth of popcorn so far,” Walker said. Rondeau added that they’d sold at least 100 raffle tickets for a knife and flashlight set with matching beaded handles.

Staying cool

This is Walker’s first year at the Chiloquin powwow and he was enjoying it, but added that it was hot and he needed to keep drinking water.

With no shade but the vinyl awnings set up around the dance circle, parents were busy making sure their young competitors stayed hydrated.

Sitting in front of the bleachers, Melinda Tigue of Klamath Falls was in charge of the cooler and sunscreen for her boyfriend, Jeff Dick, who was performing in the men’s traditional dances.

It was Tigue’s first time at the Chiloquin celebration, and she was having fun.

“I’m really enjoying the regalia,” she said.

Also enjoying the drumming and dancing from farther back were Carmen and Norman Parkins of Prineville.

The couple was selling what Carmen Parkins called “teepee wall hangings.” A wood cross was set against small dowls representing teepee poles and adorned with colorful thread and beads.

It takes two or three days to make one of the wall hangings, but Carmen Parkins said her original design was selling well.

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