Aug. 16th, 2010
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Aug. 16th, 2010 10:33 amWe spent the weekend visiting my mother and sister in Omak. They're moving sometime this fall or winter, so this will be the last summer they're in Omak for the Omak Stampede and Suicide Race. So, there were two housefuls of family who came to town to go to Stampede and visit. Oh, and 6 dogs. There were times that it was sort of like a circus with all the kids, dogs and the rest of us, but a lot of fun. It was also VERY hot--over 100 both days, and of course we were at the Colville encampment in the heat of the day Sat. and then at the rodeo and Suicide Race Sat. night. Nothing like the temp. finally falling to 77 degrees at midnight.
Junior fancy dancers practicing and a shot of the encampment.
The Federated Colville Tribes dedicated a new permanent dancing pavilion this year. It's really beautiful, circular in design (of course) with entrances to the dancing ground from the four directions, and enough room for most of the spectators and dancers to sit in the shade of the roof. The city of Omak built it for them. A big switch from 2001, when the city tried to forbid the tribe from camping on the new ball fields that they had just built at Stampede Park. The tribe boycotted the Stampede that year, there was no Suicide Race, and all the tribe's festivities happened at the tribal headquarters at Nespeelam. (my mom, my daughers and I went and had a great time). You see, what the city had forgotten until they were forcibly reminded of it, is that the Suicide Race was started by the tribe, and in fact, Stampede Park, although owned by the city, is actually on the Reservation. The only reason the city owns the park is that the Colville tribe deeded it to Omak. Anyway, in the 9 years since then, both the tribe and the city have actively worked to improve communication and mend a bunch of fences. This year, the Stampede parade grand marshal was one of the matriarchs of the Colville tribe, the Colville Nation eagle staff was honored along with the Canadian and US flags, and when the US and Canadian anthems were sung, an honor song was sung as well.
I had a bit of culture shock Sat. night. When walking back from the Stampede grounds, the bridge crossing the river is very narrow and so are the sidewalks. A group of Colville teens came up behind me, and, seeing my cane, said, "Excuse me, grandmother" as they passed me. It took me a minute to realize that they meant me, and that it was an honorific.
My husband went to the art show Sat. while I was garage saling with my sister (I found a WWI uniform in perfect shape for $8!), and insisted that he had found something I would love and that I had to go to see it. So, Sunday we managed to slip into the show just before it closed and he bought me a print of this painting:
The artist is from Montana and it's based on a Salish legend.
So, I'm slightly sunburned, glad it's not as hot here and very tired, but it was a good weekend