Thank you
Yvonne Irene Gladue, Sweetgrass Writer, Siksika
A feast, powwow and giveaway was held on Feb. 21 as a way
for the men of the Natoyikiimaan Men's Lodge to say thank you
to the community for its support. The lodge, which opened its
doors in 2001, is an 11-bed lodge that houses single men.
Romeo Crow Chief is the volunteer manager of the lodge. He said
the event was great and the turnout was excellent, despite the
cold. His duties at the lodge include checks on the men, making
sure that the facility is safe and that the men have food.
More than 300 people gathered at the community arena for the
celebration, which also included a commemoration of the late
Loretta Doore, who believed in the need for such a facility in
the community.
Crow Chief recalls how he and Loretta were both on council when
they started talking about building a house for single men.
"There is such a long list of people requiring homes, especially
families, so our single men in the community are usually at the
bottom of the list. There were not enough homes, so we thought
this idea would be an alternative way of providing homes for
all community members."
He said that many single men in a community tend to move from
home to home and he found that many family members did not take
other family members into consideration anymore.
"So we thought we would do that, so we looked for sponsors
and we talked about it. Then Loretta passed away and I wanted
to continue on with the dream, so I looked for funding from people
who were associated with the community and I pushed them for
funding. Chief and council were a big part of this success. Often
they are forgotten when it comes to recognition, but they purchased
the building and they believed in the idea too, and so did our
social development. They were helpful in providing furniture,
the beds and the mattresses," Romeo Crow Chief said.
Fred Yellow Old Woman, resident at the centre, said the men who
live at the lodge all work in various jobs to pay their rent.
"We've been talking about putting on this [powwow] for about
a year, because in the Blackfoot tradition when we have something,
our people like to give back. So we decided here at this residence
to do something for the community. It is a gratitude for the
chief and council, Romeo Crow Chief and the late Loretta Doore,
because we were homeless. We did not have a home, and they are
responsible for what we have today," he said.
Yellow Old Woman recalls a time in the past when at this particular
time of the year he would see people coming together to enjoy
a huge potluck and dance. "I used to remember that around
the flats and the river area people used to come together around
this time, in January or February. Today it is a little more
updated, so this is our way to keep these traditions and values
that were handed down to us. Even today when we go and visit,
people say 'Take this home with you' such as blankets and stuff
like that. It is all in the traditional way, the way we were
taught, but these traditions are dying quickly so we have to
try to keep them," he said.
"I believe that when you get something you always give back.
In the non-Aboriginal community people usually give tithes to
give thanks, but in the Aboriginal community the Elders say 'Give
them some tea, give them some bread, and food' is the way we
tithe back to the community. This is the way we say thank you,"
he said.
"The powwow was great. We all had a good time. It turned
out really good. We had a lot of compliments," he said.
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Rebels eke out
overtime win in tourney final
Matt Ross, Sweetgrass Writer, Brocket
Spouting off to an official might not seem to be the best
way to handle yourself on the court, especially in a one-point
ball game with less than a minute remaining. However, Charlton
Weasel Head redeemed himself after he drew an unsportsmanlike
technical foul when he led a frenetic charge in the dying seconds
of the final game of the 26th Annual Oki Basketball Tournament
on the Peigan reserve in Brocket.
Playing for the Blackfeet Rebels, Weasel Head teamed up with
a combination of players from various nations from southern Alberta
and Montana to become part of the first all-Native squad to win
the championship in many years in a thrilling 96-91 overtime
decision against the Lethbridge RH Sports.
Driving to the hoop with his team trailing 79-78, Weasel Head
missed the lay-up after some apparent body contact with an RH
defender. None too pleased the referee who failed to call the
foul, Weasel Head had some choice words for the official.
"I thought I got fouled and my frustrations got to me,"
said Weasel Head, who played two years for the Brandon University
Bobcats. Two successful free throws and another basket pushed
the margin to five points, before Weasel Head made his winning
moves.
Potting a three-ball, Weasel Head created a turnover near mid-court
on Lethbridge's return and upon receiving a pass from Darcy Day
Chief, a second-year guard with the University of Lethbridge
Pronghorns, had an easy lay-up for a tie at 83.
Twenty-eight seconds remaining and Weasel Head stole the ball
on Lethbridge's inbound pass. With possession of the ball, the
Rebels called a time-out and on a set play from the endline,
Alan Spoonhunter, also a Pronghorn, fed Sam Aims Back, one of
the Rebels' Montana recruits, who scored the bucket underneath.
In drawing a foul, he converted the free throw for an 86-83 advantage.
With Lethbridge running out of time, victory was just about locked
up when Weasel Head tipped the ball into the corner. Saving the
contest for Lethbridge was Jared Kilkenny's three-pointer with
five seconds remaining.
Weasel Head had a nearmiss at the horn when his 22-footer hit
the back rim.
The five-minute extra frame was all Rebels as Spoonhunter, with
a team-high 27 points, anticipated the loose ball from the jump
and went in uncontested for the lay-up as Blackfeet outscored
a visibly tired Lethbridge 10-5.
Although Weasel Head didn't score in the overtime, his contributions
more than made up for his verbal outburst.
"There had never been an all-Native team to win this tournament
and I knew that I could step up and help this team," the
guard said, who finished with 11 points.
This was the second time these squads met in the 12-team tournament
held between Feb. 28 and March 2. In the opening round of the
double-knockout format, the Rebels' 83-65 win sent them through
the winner's bracket while Lethbridge had to go through the back
door and avoid a second loss.
Playing three games on Sunday, including the semi-final against
the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology alumni, Lethbridge
had only a 15-minute break before the final in what became its
sixth contest. The Rebels meanwhile were well rested entering
the championship as that was only their fifth game of the weekend.
It didn't appear Lethbridge would succumb to exhaustion after
it jumped out to a 12-4 lead in the opening three minutes as
forward Nick Baldwin, another present-day Pronghorn, was uncontested
down low. While Day Chief, with 21 points, connected on three-straight
3-balls to keep the score close, it wasn't until nine minutes
left in the game before the Rebels tied the game.
There was a noticeable difference by the Rebel defense after
the break, however, when Lethbridge led 44-40. Points in the
paint by Lethbridge became harder to come by as Blackfeet employed
more double-teaming and frenzied hand-waving to distract the
opposing shooters.
Part of that stronger interior presence was Sam Aims Back, who
despite giving up several centimetres on the taller Baldwin,
was able to maintain his rebounding position. When Baldwin fouled
out with three minutes left with a game-high 29 points, Lethbridge
only had a 77-74 lead but lost a significant height advantage.
"I just started to get more physical and I was being too
easy," Aims Back said, with 21 points and the third Rebel
to register more than 20 points.
"In the first half I couldn't loosen up."
Once Baldwin left the floor, running the Lethbridge show was
Cheyno Finnie, a U of L graduate, who finished with 16 points.
While his team missed the $1,200 prize, instead winding up with
$700 for second place, Finnie was neither surprised nor disappointed
with a loss to the Rebels.
"Our goal was to get to the final and give ourselves a chance
to win," said Finnie, the coach for Alberta's midget boys
program. "We had left it all on the line versus Calgary
(SAIT) and we had our chances but didn't make them."
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