Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory received a star quilt in appreciation for her work with Lakota youth who are at risk.
Women honored at Oglala Nation Pow wow
By Karin Eagle
Native Sun News Staff Writer PINE RIDGE — Cheyenne chief Dull Knife said, "It is only when the hearts of the women are in the mud, that the people are destroyed." The Oglala Lakota Nation took steps towards ensuring that the hearts of their women are lifted beyond that. During three different honoring ceremonies at the 2014 Oglala Lakota Nation powwow and rodeo four Oglala women were honored for their hard work and dedication in different fields. In the first ceremony sponsored by the tribal council Debra White Plume was honored for her tireless work in activism for environmental justice. White Plume is most recently well known for her arrest in front of the White House during a protest that included actress Darryl Hannah against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. White Plume, who doesn’t confine her activism to local issues, is a huge proponent for water rights across Indian Country. She speaks eloquently and often about the need for treaty obligations to be honored by the government as they pertain to not only tribal access to water in and around the Missouri River, but also the preservation of water quality. White Plume was unable to attend the honoring, so her nephew Victorio Camp, a leader with Owe Aku which is an activist group lead in part by White Plume, accepted the satin tribal flag star quilt on her behalf. Camp requested that White Plume be kept in everyone’s prayers for her continued health. During the same ceremony Yvonne “Tiny” DeCory was called forward to receive a tribal flag quilt. DeCory was honored for her equally tireless work with the Lakota youth. Eyapaha Chris Eagle Hawk jokingly referred to DeCory as “the tribe’s oldest teenager” making reference to her endless supply of energy, good humor, and teasing antics. DeCory leads the B.E.A.R. program that sends area youth who are trained in entertaining, to different schools and organizational events to promote reading readiness. With her winning personality DeCory is always a huge draw to any event. In the more serious aspect of her life, DeCory has been known to be called to local and regional hospitals to sit and visit with young people who have attempted suicide. She spoke about the endless nights that she sat up with a young person and their family in a hospital emergency room offering words of encouragement, or just a solid presence in those traumatic moments. However, it is through her work and that of others in the suicide prevention business that DeCory had positive news. “In the year 2013, we had over 40 suicide attempts and 15 suicides in the age range of 10-24 years old,” said DeCory.”Here we are in August of 2015 and to date, for this year, we have had only one suicide, and he was twenty-nine years old.” “This means that so far this year have not had one single young person take their own life,” exclaimed DeCory. On the last day of the powwow dancer Denise One Star, Oneida, requested a healing song to be danced by all of the jingle dress dancers. The song was requested for prayers for Mille Black Bear, Oglala, well known dancer throughout the powwow circuit. All dancers were given a gift of tobacco and instructed to remove their feathers and other obvious adornments and to pray for not only Black Bear’s health, but for all those who were ill and suffering. In the very old style of this healing dance, the jingle dress dancers danced side by side, not one passing another, and all in one single line. The origins of the jingle dress come from the Ojibwe tribe. The dance was brought about through a recurring dream that came to a man whose little girl was gravely ill. In the dreams there were four women each wearing a jingle dress and dancing. The dreams also gave instructions on how to make the dresses, what types of songs went with them and how the dance was to be performed. Upon awakening, the man and his wife made four dresses. He showed his wife how to dance in the dress, which he showed to the four women he had dreamed about. When it came time for the drum ceremony, the man and his wife brought their little girl. They sat at the ceremony, with the girl lying on the floor. He brought out the four women and said they were going to dance in the style he had dreamed about. The drum started, the people began to sing, and the women danced. Soon, their daughter perked up, lifted her head to watch the women dance. As the evening went on, pretty soon she was sitting up and watching. Before the night was over, the girl was so moved by the dancers that she was following the women and dancing around. It was in this manner that the song and dance was performed at the Oglala Nation powwow on behalf of Black Bear. Near the conclusion of the powwow another honoring was held by the powwow committee for one of the women who, over the years, have made quiet and steady contributions not only towards the running of the powwow every year, but also in the day to day operations of the tribe. Cis Big Crow, Oglala, was surprised with words of appreciation for her work, a Pendleton blanket and an honoring song. Through tears of gratitude, Big Crow humbly accepted every hand shake and hug that was offered to her by over a hundred well wishers who came forward during the song. The 2014 Oglala Nation powwow committee escorted her around the arbor, further showing their appreciation for her good works. (Contact Karin Eagle at staffwriter@nsweekly.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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