Treasured Traditions Indian Elders Pass On Knowledge Of The Old Ways To The Young

They’re storytellers and historians - role models who teach by example.

Every year, elders from the Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Kalispel tribes gather at the annual Friendship Dance to impart their knowledge to the youth.

“You must respect them,” said Esther George, a 16-year-old member of the Yakama Indian Nation. “They teach us how to dance, how to sing, how to live.”

Elders - men and women over the age of 50 - have a special place in Indian culture. They are the first to eat at powwows and other social gatherings. Young people must serve them food.

“We wouldn’t be here without them,” said Faran Paul, 21. “They know a lot, and we have to listen to them.”

Tribal elders are revered as living treasures, the keepers of Indian tradition.

More than 500 people came to honor them Saturday at the sixth annual Friendship Dance at the West Central Community Center.

For several hours, tribal elders led the drumming and dancing so that others - including non-Indians - could learn their culture.

Young people are slowly losing their Indian ways, some elders say. Many don’t speak Salish, the language of the Plateau Indians.

That’s why the older generation must teach them, said Marceline Seltice Kevis, an 84-year-old Coeur d’Alene Indian.

“Pray before you eat,” she said Saturday in Salish.

As people gathered around her, she told stories passed down to her through many generations. She spoke of Circling Raven, her ancestor who foretold the coming of Christian missionaries. She helped people learn to pronounce the difficult words in her native tongue.

Georgia Iukes, whose roots are Yakama and the Wenatchee band of the Colvilles, spent the afternoon leading her grandchildren and great-grandchildren in a drum circle.

Indians used to spend more time singing and dancing at powwows, she said. But white culture has gotten in the way.

“We’ve gotten into (such) a modern way of life that we don’t have as many social gatherings,” the 73-year-old woman said. “(The Friendship Dance) gives us a chance to bring back some of the culture to every individual. It helps heal the hurt.”

Young people can become more in touch with their Indian heritage by learning centuries-old practices, such as beading or making drums, said Laverne Covington, 54, a Colville Indian.

But it’s also an attitude, he said. Part of being Indian is returning to the simple ways of life and becoming a “custodian of the environment.”

“Happiness isn’t found in making money,” he said. “It’s asking yourself, ‘What do I need and what do I not need?’ It’s about taking care of things.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo