>
Eastport Maine
Find more about Weather in Eastport, ME
August 14, 2015
Home
Subscribe
Links
Classifieds
Contact
 
 

 

 

 

 

Indian Day draws large crowd
by Susan Esposito

 

        The 50th Ceremonial Indian Day celebration drew a large crowd to the dances as well as a record-breaking number of participants in many of the weekend's most popular events. "Wow! It was amazing!" sums up Indian Day Committee member Tina Downing. "It went very, very well. This was my eighth and last year on the committee, and it meant a lot to me that things were so successful."
     The weekend started off with the 16th annual Warrior Canoe Trip, which started on Thursday morning at Indian Township and ended the next day at noon at Split Rock. "We had 43 warriors this year, which was the most ever," reports Downing.
     Pleasant Point Health Center Director Brian Altvater says the 5K walk/run that started from the health center on Friday morning was "really successful. Over 30 people participated."
     The annual Health Fair on Friday was another Indian Day success, he adds. "It was enormously successful. There were over 300 participants, and they came from places like Presque Isle and Bangor to set up tables." Over 35 tables had health information available, and door prizes such as basketballs and backpacks were given away by the health center, the WIC and Nutrition program, Program Launch and Calais Regional Hospital.
     Altvater also describes the Saturday morning Diabetes Health Walk as "very successful. We had close to 300 people walk, which was the most we had in years. Over 300 people were screened for diabetes in the last week and a half, and that is what is so important. Diabetes is the silent killer, and the more people get out and exercise, the lower their blood sugar will be."
     "I'm more than pleased," he says of the Health Fair and Diabetes Walk. "I'm pleasantly surprised at all of the work the [health center] staff did."
     On Saturday night, Joanne Shenandoah, Ph.D., one of America's most celebrated and critically acclaimed musicians, gave a presentation about people's relationship to the natural world and the healing vibration of music from a perspective steeped in Indigenous culture. Preceding her on the stage were flutist Rolfe Richter, singers Stormi McLaughlin, De-Anne Chantel, Crow Sun Cloud and Diana Ramsdell Newman.
     Saturday night's firework display earned rave reviews from Downing. "We pulled out all the stops. It was great! We even had 'Happy 50th, Sipayik' on a board. It will be hard to top that."
A sunrise ceremony at Split Rock was held on Sunday morning, and St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish's new priest, Father Kevin Martin, held Mass for about 40 parishioners from St. Ann's and St. Joseph's congregations.
     Downing says over 1,000 people attended this year's ceremonial dancing, which was started back in 1965 by Mary Moore and Joseph "Cozy" Nicholas, so it was fitting that Nicholas' son Steve was honored with a beaded bald eagle feather as a token of the tribe's love and affection for him. He was not the only one of the original dancers at the event. Steve has been married to over 23 women in the Wedding Dances, including five or six times to the same woman. During what Steve says was his final Wedding Dance, he married Sharon Tomah. His nephew Melvin Francis Jr. and wife Tammy also got "married" again during the dance.
     The dances were preceded by the inauguration of Chief Fred Moore and Vice Chief Vera Francis, which was attended by U.S. Senator Susan Collins and included numerous speeches. An inaugural feast was held after the dancing.
     The annual Indian Day Golf Tournament at the St. Croix Golf Course in Calais was the final event of the 50th anniversary celebration.

Winners announced
     Warrior Challenge triathlon: singles -- 1st, David Slagger; 2nd, Samuel Neptune Jr.; 3rd, Maggie Dana; teams --  1st, Newell Lewey and Justice Bassett; 2nd, Mark Ranco and Bridgid Neptune; 3rd, CJ Francis and Vera Francis.
5K walk/run: walkers -- 1st, Cheryl Paul, 35 minutes; 2nd, Dakota Larkin, 43.53 minutes; 3rd, Brian Altvater III, 43.55 minutes; runners -- 1st, Devin Juros, 19.42 minutes; 2nd, Jonathan Aretakis, 20.14 minutes; 3rd, Joey Stanley, 21.05 minutes; youngest participant C Phillip Bassett Jr., 7 years old; eldest participant -- Thurstan Holt, 96 years old.
Pageant: Baby Girl Sipayik C winner, Kisha Francis; 1st runner-up, Kynlee Chevrier; 2nd runner-up, Corinne Newell; 3rd runner-up, Kaneesha Foster; Baby Boy Sipayik -- winner, Felix Dimitri Francis; 1st runner-up, Alexander Joseph Lewey; Kitis Miss Sipayik -- winner, Ava Paul; 1st runner-up, Rihanna Altvater; Kitis Mr. Sipayik -- winner, Quinton Fields-Love; Little Miss Sipayik -- winner, Aurora Toney; 1st runner-up, Jaylah Lewey; 2nd runner-up, Tihtiyas Newell; Little Mr. Sipayik -- winner, John Toney; Miss Pre-Teen Sipayik -- winner, Moshunsis Gabriel; 1st runner-up, Reagan Moore; Ms. Sipayik -- winner, Jasmine Francis; 1st runner-up, Brittani Moore; 2nd runner-up, Bridgid Neptune; 3rd runner-up, Danielle Marie Altvater; Mr. Sipayik -- winner, Frank Fela; Grand Ms. Sipayik -- winner, Elaine Francis Perry; 1st runner-up, Barbara Dore; Grand Mr. Sipayik -- winner, Gary Moore.

August 14, 2015    (Home)     

.

Google
www The Quoddy Tides article search