Otoe-Missouria News Archive

» reprint from the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Newsletter: Fall 2009

When fifteen-year-old Summer Moore was a little girl, she used to dream of being a powwow princess. “Just seeing the other princesses when I was little made me want to be princess,” Moore says.  This year her little girl dream came true when she was crowned Otoe-Missouria Princess at the tribal encampment in July. While she may have dreamed of being a princess, the Frontier sophomore and cloth dancer says that it was her love of dancing that led her to her new role. “Last year I really watched the princesses and stuff and really started dancing at every powwow,” Moore says. “And then I got nominated.”

In August she attended the American Indian Expo in Anadarko, OK, where she was kept very busy with interviews, speeches and of course, dancing. “It was fun,” Moore says. “We did a lot of activities. You never really got time off. You were so busy the whole time.” Moore says that she met many other princesses and made many new friends while at the Expo. One of her favorite activities was a little intimidating, but exciting.

“I liked the fashion show that we did,” Moore says. “We wore our traditional dress. It was crazy because we had to walk all the way around the room. We had to stop and then turn like a real fashion show — in front of all these people!” When you are a tribal princess, traveling is part of the job. Moore is the daughter of Bradley and Bunny Moore who, along with her aunt and director Julia Tah, take turns traveling with her from powwow to powwow. In early September, Moore traveled to Lakeside, California, with her aunt for the Barona Powwow. She was a guest princess and competed in the cloth dance competition. “My great-grandma, she was the one that helped make that powwow,” Moore says. “I went up there and I got first in the contest.”

Although her reign as Otoe-Missouria Princess is only for one year, Moore says she thinks that dancing will be something she does for many more years. “I’ve been dancing since I was three,” Moore says. “I like dancing. It’s just something that I’ve always liked to do. It helps to get stuff off my mind, and I have fun when I do it.”

Moore’s Otoe-Missouria name translates into English as “Little Flower Swaying in Wind,” which seems apt for a young woman so comfortable with her time in the arena. Her next big powwow is the Gathering of Nations Powwow in Albuquerque.

Members of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe from all across the U.S. are gathering here for the beginning tonight of the tribe’s 128th annual Encampment since relocation from Nebraska to Oklahoma in 1881. The four-day event, free and open to the public, runs Thursday through Sunday at the tribal powwow and encampment grounds located just south of the Seven Clans Paradise Casino at 7500 Highway 177, about 14 miles south of Ponca City.

Tonight’s opening program features the crowning of Incoming tribal princess Summer Moore scheduled for 7 p.m. at the start of the evening powwow program. Tiny tots dance contestants will also be held. The Friday evening program will feature boys dance contests in Straight, Traditional/Grass and Fancy categories. Girls will compete in the Cloth, Fancy Shawl/Jingle Dress and Buckskin categories. Saturday morning will see dozens of youth with their turtles competing for fun and prizes in the N-D-Inz World Championship Turtle Races. Other fun activities include a Horseshoe Tournament on Sunday and a Basketball Tournament.

Youth games will take place each day near the tribal casino. Arts and crafts as well as food vendors will have stands around the powwow arena. Rations will be distributed to all registered campers each morning Friday through Sunday. Late Saturday and Sunday afternoons will see Gourd Dancing and traditional family giveaways. The evening powwow programs both days will feature dance competitions.

Teen dancers will compete Saturday evening, with boys contesting in Straight, Traditional/Grass and Fancy categories. Teen girls will compete in Cloth, Fancy Shawl/Jingle Dress and Buckskin categories. Adult dance competition will highlight the Sunday evening powwow with men contesting in Straight, Traditional, Grass/Chicken and Fancy categories while the women will compete in Cloth, Fancy Shawl/Jingle and Buckskin. Golden Age contests for men and women will also take place Sunday evening. Special contests scheduled include the Perry Lee Botone, Jr. Memorial 49 Contest and the Johnny Moore, Sr. Old Style Fancy Dance Contest.

Head Staff

Sharing duties as master of ceremonies for the 128th Encampment will be Jim Grant and Don Patterson. Both men possess a vast knowledge of traditional ways and of family genealogy, important assets for a large traditional event. Leading the singers around the drum will be Leonard Cozad Jr., as the head gourd dance singer, and Mike Kihega as head war dance singer. Serving as the head gourd dancer will be tribal Chairman John Shotton. At the powwow sessions Donnie Grant will serve as head man dancer along with Elsie Whitehorn as head lady dancer. Arena director duties will be handled by friends Junior Kent and Junior Murray. Water boys will be Roy Childs III and Terrance Atkins.

The outgoing 2008-09 tribal princess is Tashina Littlecook.

» Originally published in the Ponca City News.

The Otoe-Missouria tribal powwow grounds is the scheduled location this Sunday (Mothers Day) for an afternoon and evening benefit dance sponsored by the Otoe-Missouria Encampment Committee.

The committee invites all dancers, clubs and organizations to come join in gourd dancing, war dancing and dance contests as they get ready for their upcoming annual Encampment set for July 16-19.

The afternoon program opens with Gourd Dance at 2 p.m. followed by supper at 5 p.m. served by the Elk Clan Guys. Gourd dancing resumes at 6. The program changes over to War Dance at 7 p.m. with dance contests scheduled for Women’s Cloth, Men’s Straight, Traditional and Fancy categories, with junior girls and boys each in combined categories.

Head staff includes: Rock Pipestem as Head Singer; Mike Childs as Head Gourd Dancer; Joe Jones and Danielle Smallwood as Head Dancers; Leroy Enloe as Arena Director; John Shotton as Master of Ceremonies; and Roy Childs III as Water Boy. Tashina Littlecook, the 2008-09 Otoe-Missouria Princess will also be in attendance.

» Originally published in the Ponca City News.

The Otoe-Missouria Cultural Center at tribal headquarters is the location this Good Friday for an afternoon and evening benefit dance sponsored by the Otoe-Missouria Encampment Committee.

The committee invites all dancers, clubs and organizations to come join in gourd dancing, war dancing and dance contests this Friday as they get ready for their upcoming annual Encampment set for July 16-19. The afternoon program opens with Gourd Dance at 3 p.m. followed by supper at 5:30 served by the Elk Clan Guys. Gourd dancing resumes at 6:30. The program changes over to War Dance at 7:30 p.m. with dance contests scheduled for Women’s Cloth, Men’s Straight, Jr. Boys combined and Jr. Girls combined.

Head staff includes: Leonard Cozad, Jr. as Head Singer; Lorenzo “Bo” Beard as Head Gourd Dancer, Henry Hunter and Danielle Smallwood as Head Dancers; Clint Bible and Robert Murray, Jr. as Arena Directors; Jim Grant as Master of Ceremonies; and Roy Childs III as Water Boy. Tashina Littlecook, the 2008-09 Otoe-Missouria Princess will also be in attendance. Co-hosts are the Otoe Veterans.

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

An eagle plume is placed by Ted Grant into the beaded crown of Red Plume Tashina Rene Littlecook in a ceremony inducting her as the 2008-2009 Otoe-Missouria tribal princess on Thursday at the opening night of the annual tribal encampment in Red Rock which runs through Sunday. Littlecook, 17, will be a senior at Frontier High School where she is a member of the Lady Mustang basketball team and the state third-place golf team. She is the daughter of Angela R. Barnett and granddaughter of Linda Bassett Francis, Ray Barnett, Clarkson and Sue Littlecook. She will act as a goodwill ambassador for the tribe.

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

The Otoe-Missouria Encampment grounds in Red Rock is the scheduled site of a benefit Gourd Dance and War Dance set for 2 p.m. Saturday. The fundraiser dance is sponsored by the Encampment committee in support of the annual tribal gathering to be held July 17-20.

Head staff for the benefit include: Tim Grant, head singer; Eric Payne, head gourd dancer; Gideon GoodEagle, head man dancer; and Veronica Pipestem, head lady dancer. Other head staff include: George Alexander, emcee; Chiefy Roy, arena director; and Jadion Roubedeaux, water boy. Tribal goodwill ambassador Elsie Rose Whitehorn, the 2007-2008 Otoe-Missouria tribal princess, also plans to attend.

Gourd dancing begins at 2 p.m. followed by supper at 5:30. Gourd dancing will resume at 6:30, with the War Dance commencing at 7:30. Dance contests in Junior and Adult categories are scheduled. The committee invites all gourd dancers and war dancers to participate.

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

The Otoe-Missouria Encampment grounds is the planned site for a benefit Gourd Dance and War Dance set to begin 2 p.m. Sunday. Proceeds will help defray expenses for the annual Otoe-Missouria Encampment on July 17-20.

Head staff for the benefit include: Jade Roubedeaux, head singer; John Shotton, head gourd dancer; Otto Hamilton, head man dancer; and, Dena Reveles, head lady dancer. Other head staff include: Don Patterson, emcee; Stanley Smith, arena director; and, Terrance Atkins, water carrier. Tribal goodwill ambassador Elsie Whitehorn, the 2007-2008 Otoe-Missouria tribal princess, also plans to attend.

The program will begin with Gourd Dance at 2 p.m. followed by supper at 5:30. The Gourd Dance will resume at 6:30, with the War Dance commencing at 7:30. Two all ages dance contests are scheduled: Women’s Cloth and Buckskin; and, Men’s Straight and Traditional. The committee invites all Gourd Dance clans and societies to participate.

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

Elsie Rose Whitehorn was introduced as the new Otoe-Missouria Tribal Princess for 2007-2008 during ceremonies Thursday at the first day of the four-day 126th Otoe-Missouria Encampment in Red Rock. A sophomore at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, she is the 19-year-old daughter of Randall and Roselyn (Begay) Whitehorn. At NSU Elsie participates in the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Native American Student Association and is a sister of the Alpha Pi Omega sorority. Her Indian name is Kee-Gwa-Au-Me (Lifts oneself up). Elsie is of the Eagle Clan on her father’s side (Otoe and Iowa) and Tl’aasch’i (Red Mountain People) from her mother’s side (Navajo). Placing the princess sash is outgoing princess Dena Reveles.

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

Enedena “Dena” Reveles is presented as the new Otoe-Missouria tribal princess for 2006-07 during ceremonies Thursday night at the 125th Annual Otoe-Missouria Encampment in Red Rock. The 20-year old daughter of Garland & Kathie Kent Jr., the Po-Hi graduate is currently attending Northern Oklahoma College. In addition to receiving many academic awards, Dena is a talented softball player and is the assistant manager at Taco Bueno. Shown, from left, are outgoing princess Jennifer Moses, Reveles, arena director Leroy Enloe and Osage tribal elder Fred Burrow. The public is invited to attend the powwow activities which continue through Sunday night. [photo]

Originally published in the Ponca City News.

Fern Thompson Alexander, former resident of Ponca City and current resident of Tahlequah, died Monday, October 24, 2005, at St. John Medical Center in Tulsa. She was 82.

The traditional funeral feast will be held Friday, October 28, at noon at the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Cultural Center. Burial will be at Otoe-Missouria Tribal Cemetery under the direction of Grace Memorial Chapel.

Fern was born June 6, 1923, in Red Rock, on her mother’s allotment on the Otoe Reservation, the daughter of Mary Arkeketa and Charles B. Thompson. She grew up in Ponca City and was a 1941 graduate of Ponca City High School and was the first wrestling queen at Po-Hi. Fern remained in Ponca City until 1962 at which time she was working with the Kennedy Administration and moved to Washington, D.C. In 1968, Fern won the National Outstanding American Indian Award and was the first woman to earn such an honor. She was present at the Pioneer Woman rededication and appeared there with Will Rogers Jr. She later moved to Portland, Ore., where she lived for 29 years prior to returning to Tahlequah in 2002.

She was a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the Buffalo clan. At one time she served as Otoe princess. She began her career with BIA in 1963 in the Muskogee area office. She has been a member of the Otoe-Missouria Tribal Council and has held the office of secretary for the National Congress of American Indians. At one time, she also served as secretary of the five inter-tribal council of northern Oklahoma.

She won the annual Federal Volunteer Award on February 9, 1973, in Washington, D.C. She was chosen from some 800 federal employee candidates, representing some 44 federal agencies. She is the only award winner from the Department of Interior and from the northwest area.

She is survived by two sons for whom her heart was full of love, Bruce Fisher and his wife Sharon of Tahlequah and Dana John Fisher of the home, who cared for his mother with devoted love. She also leaves behind her most beloved and cherished grandchildren and great-grandchildren who brought much joy and happiness to her life and include grandsons, Robert Bruce Fisher and Ryan Neal Fisher, granddaughter Kari K. Stanley and her husband David; and five great-grandchildren, Josh, Jake and Jase Fisher and Dillon and Daniel Stanley all of Tahlequah. She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Louise DeHaas; and two brothers, Keith Thompson and Bruce Thompson.

Casket bearers will be her grandchildren.

» Originally published in the Ponca City News.