St. Ignatius honors graduates with dinner, gifts and pow wow
The St. Ignatius school's Indian Education Committee, with the great help of community members, sponsored a graduation dinner and gift-giving presentation for all senior and junior high graduates May 29 at the St. Ignatius Indian Community Center.
Indian Education Committee Chairman Greg DuMontier says this event originated not only to provide recognition to graduating seniors and eighth-grade students, but to "provide an incentive to combat the high
dropout rate of Indian students". It's also a chance to get the Indian and non-Indian community together to honor the graduates, he said.
The evening began with the invocation by Jesuit Father Joe Retzel and a few words from Steve Atkins of the Missoula Vocational Center. Next was SKC President Dr. Joe McDonald, who entertained the crowd with a few comical tall-tales about his fellow guest speakers. McDonald also commended everyone for the "great community spirit" expressed by the good turnout at the dinner. Then, St. Ignatius Mayor Ken Hurt and Senator Dick Pinsoneault rounded off the pre-dinner addresses. Senator Pinsoneault finished up by stressing the importance of people exercising their right to vote, and by saying he hoped the dinner to honor graduates would become an annual happening.
After feasting on elk meat (donated by the Tribal Fish and Game), ham, salads, and desserts, gifts were presented to the graduates by the St.
Ignatius JOM Coordinator Sally Mitchell.
Nine students who are enrolled members of a recognized tribe were given eagle feathers from the Indian Ed. Committee. Nine others who are descendants of Tribal members received beaded key chains. The remaining 23 non-Indian seniors were given a mat-framed print of a drawing by Randy Wood, a well-known Indian artist from Oklahoma who is also the late husband of Judy Fixico, who donated the prints. The eighth-grade girls got beaded barrettes while the boys got chokers.
Immediately following the gift presentations, a pow wow broke out. Although most of the seniors fled to prepare for the highs school's dance, and many pow wow goers were at a celebration in Browning, a few dancers in both traditional dress and street clothes put on an exhibition for some visiting relatives of graduates. Then everyone, including the curious (Concludes on page two)
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Melcher to discuss FIIP this Saturday
WASHINGTON - Sen. John Melcher will hold a public meeting June 13 in Ronan to discuss problems with the Flathead Irrigation Project.
The meeting is scheduled in the Ronan High School gymnasium beginning at 10:30 a.m. and is open to the public.
Project irrigators are protesting recent increases in operating and
maintenance fees, reduced stream-flow levels set by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the management of the project.
The meeting may also be used as a forum for discussing other current controversial issues, such as Ordinances 44D (hunting and fishing) and 87A (Aquatic Lands Conservation Ordinance).
