Powwowing with Chief Joseph's descendants

J and I drove to Wallowa on the 2oth of July via Brownlee Reservoir and Hell's Canyon. A very scenic, but slow route. We stayed at the Best Western in Enterprise, Oregon. When we checked out the clerk told Jane the room was free because of our points. What??!!!! Five years ago I made every effort to stay at Best Westerns because of the point system they had. But, before I could redeem any of the points, I got an e-mail saying, "Sorry, sucker, your points have all expired." I fired back a nasty note pointing out that I thought it was a pretty cheap way to treat a valued customer since they easily could have e-mailed that my points were about to expire and that I might want to use those that I had. I deleted my link to the Royal Crown Points club (or whatever name they went by) and was done doing business with them. I never did get a return on my nasty note, but I guess I was comped a room. We just have not stayed at a Best Western since then.

For a dining treat eat at the Calderas Restaurant in Joseph, OR. See my review at http://www.superpages.com/.

Jane and I attended the powwow known as TamKaLiks. This is the seventeenth annual powwow hosted by the descendants of Chief Joseph. See http://www.wallowanezperce.org/ if interest in reading a short history about the people and the event. The people have bought 360 acres so that they have a place to gather each year. While we were there, they broke ground on longhouse to hold their traditional religious ceremonies, feasting, and other celebrations. They have built a very nice arbor in which to hold their dancing and outdoor celebrations. We were very impressed with what they have done. There is also a nice monument remembering their horrific attempt to escape to Canada. What a sad story in American history! Besides the dancing J and I were honored to view a march of the horses. The horse is very important to the Nee-Mee-Poo people.

We were intrigued to watch a "give away" in which the Broncheau family broke their many months of mourning the death of a family elder (the members of the family attend no public events until the mourning period has ended) by giving items away to all who were in attendance. The idea is that if you receive a gift, you will remember their departed loved one. It works. Jane and I received a few yards of cotton fabric and a dish cloth. We were simply observers with no attachment to the family, but still were included. I was touched by these people's custom. Of course, the gifts to close friends were of significant monetary value. Thousands of dollars had to have been spent by the family.

We bought a program which included a ticket which entitled the bearer to win a drawing. There are several drawings and what appeared to be a hundred or so gifts to be given away. I won a ten dollar gift certificate to the health food store in Joseph. We drove all the way back to Joseph from Enterprise just to use that certificate and thank the store owner for their support of the powwow and the Nee-Mee-Poo people. We also bought five dollars worth of raffle tickets and can you believe, we actually won a prize again. J recieved a phone call a week later informing her that she (I put her name on 3 of the tickets) had won a flute. She did not think too much of that information until we had returned from Vancouver, B.C. and picked up the mail we had had held. This was a major Indian flute. It was beautifully crafted of elderberry wood by a man living in Richland, Oregon. Wow. Jane felt badly about winning such a fine gift. I have since purchased a book that I hope will help me learn to play the instrument and don't feel badly about her having won such a fine gift. J says she has no interest in learning to play the flute. I do.

The dancing was great. Not a real big powwow, but fun to watch and interact with these people who have such a wonderful heritage, albeit a very sad one. I don't know but what I would be much more bitter if I my ancestors had experienced what theirs had to experience.