Ceremonial's spirit of youth
Dancer, 7, captivates audience
Christopher Schurtz
Staff Writer
GALLUP — While people gathered around a table where Eldon K.
Owens was autographing his picture on the official Ceremonial magazine,
the 7-year-old acted as if he had done it all before.
A similar confidence was apparent when he took to the dance arena
Friday and Saturday night at the 79th Inter-Tribal Ceremonial dressed
in a red-feathered headdress and beaded Kiowa dance regalia.
He even stood out during a group dance Saturday night that featured
other elaborately dressed dancers from various tribes something not
easy to do among the powerful, expert dancers.
Though eyes may have been on him because he was one of the smallest
and youngest of the dancers, his seemingly innate feel for the dance
drew the spotlight to follow him as he dipped to his knees and swirled
in sharp circles in a fancy dance style.
Owens, a Navajo from Gallup, has been dancing as an honorary member
of the Kiowa tribe dancers, a northern plains tribe from Oklahoma,
for the past year.
He has danced the grass dance and the slow war dance at several regional
powwows and tribal gatherings and will join the Kiowa dancers later
this month at the 124th Annual Powwow in Oklahoma.
His appearance at the ceremonial heritage powwow last June caught
the eye of the publisher of the Inter-Tribal Ceremonial commemorative
magazine.
Publisher Larryl Lynch said he approached Owens after his performance
to see if he would pose for the magazine, not necessarily thinking
the young dancer would end up being featured prominently on the back
of the magazine.
But the pictures turned out better than Lynch and Owens' father, Edison
Owens Jr., thought they would.
"I did not believe it," the elder Owens said. "Of course,
we were very proud. When we showed Eldon, he just kind of laughed
and went into his room to watch cartoons."
Lynch said the picture of Owens on the back cover embodies not just
the strength and beauty of one person or specific tribe, but all Native
Americans.
"I just think the picture really shows how beautiful and colorful
North American Indians are. The look on his face really embodies the
confidence and strength of all styles and tribes," Lynch said.
Owens said several of his other children have danced for years and
that Eldon not only has a natural feel for dance, he also shows a
deep understanding and respect for his position as a dancer.
Initiated as a dancer last year at an area powpow by the Kiowa, the
boy said he practices his steps a couple hours a day after he gets
home from school. He said dancing is "my hobby, I'm just enjoying
myself."
Though the boy was influenced by other family members who dance, Edison
said his son has told him that he thinks of his grandmother, who passed
away weeks before Eldon began dancing, when he is dancing.
Owens' mother is of the Salt Clan and his father is of the Big Water
Clan.
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Kiss a pig, raise money for literacy
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — It's time to pucker-up for the porkers again to raise
money for Literacy Volunteers of America.
Marie Gallegos, executive director of Literacy Volunteers of America-Cibola
County (LVA), said the pucker-drive begins now with several county
celebrities raising money for the pig-kissing contest.
The money will be used, as it was last year, to help fund the not-for-profit
Literacy Volunteers of America-Cibola County, which receives no regular
government funds. Literacy Volunteers of America-Cibola County, survives
on donations.
The organizations teaches people who have slipped through the educational
cracks how to read and how to function in the literate world through
a free tutorial system.
"This raises self-esteem as well as assisting people to reach
their full potential," Gallegos said. "These services directly
benefit the entire community by helping to prepare our neighbors for
the job market, which, in turn, brings more business in the area,
assuring our livelihood."
National statistics show one-in-four people are functionally illiterate.
Cibola County, with its more than 50 percent high school drop-out
rate, has an even higher illiteracy rate.
To help people climb back through the educational cracks they slipped
through years before, Literacy Volunteers of America-Cibola County
depends on events like the annual pig-kissing contest to fund programs
which lighten the dark world of illiteracy.
Last year's winner of the pig kissing contest was Grants Mayor Bill
Snodgrass, who rallied a strong showing in the last minutes of the
fund raiser to bring in hundreds of dollars, and the right to kiss
the pig.
Apparently, pig kissing is not all that bad. Snodgrass is back again
as a kiss the pig contestant.
The contest finale will take place over the Labor Day Weekend.
"You can help LVA by casting a one dollar vote for your favorite
pig kisser, or, you can write in your own candidate,"
Gallegos said. "Remember that every dollar more brings your candidate
closer to winning, so the more you vote, the closer your choice gets
to kissing the pig at the Bi-County Fair in Grants."
The fund-raising chair is Gary Martin. Votes can be cast at various
banks and at Wal-Mart. More will be distributed at other locations
in the near future.
The top vote-getter will receive a trophy pig designed and made by
Jan Pearson, a local artist. Last year's winner, Snodgrass, will present
the trophy to this year's winner and the trophy will become a traveling
trophy. Each winner will have his name engraved on the traveling trophy.
Pig kissing candidates are:
Gary Isham, representing New Mexico State University-Grants.
Bernadette Montoya, representing New Mexico State University-Grants.
Kevin LeCavalier, representing Wells Fargo Bank.
Andrew Morrow, representing Grants State Bank.
Elisabeth Lopez-Rael, Milan mayor.
Snodgrass, Grants mayor.
David Jiron, Milan village manager.
RoseAnn Lopez, representing Milan.
Jeannette Bittel, representing Milan.
Louise Rael, representing Milan.
Alfonso Martinez, representing Milan (also the Milan Police Department
chief).
Darwin Vallo, National Park Service.
Greg Rockhold, principal of the Laguna-Acoma High School.
Molly Crosby, president of LVA.
Khristie Bennett, representing the Kiwanis Club.
| Top |
Elderly claim abuse
Catherine Coolwind Feher
Special to the Independent
TUBA CITY, Ariz. — More than 1,000 Navajos and Hopis have signed
petitions expressing concern over treatment of elderly applicants
at the Social Security office here. Petitions are circulating throughout
the Western Navajo Agency, Kayenta and the Hopi country.
Petition signers allege that employees of the Tuba City Social Security
Administration offices have belittled and verbally abused elderly
clients.
The petition also asserts that regional supervisor Bruce Carter, based
in Farmington, has repeatedly ignored complaints by elders and their
families about the alleged mistreatment. The petition cites examples
of alleged employee misconduct and asks the immediate termination
of three federal field agents and their immediate supervisor.
The petition states: "Nelson Yellowhair, Floyd Bighorse, and
Tom Tohey have all been seen and heard at various times in the Social
Security office verbally abusing and ridiculing potential clients
... seeking applications for disability, social security cards, or
... general information ... Because of this attitude, we feel that
many people who could (be) helped have not been.
This is in direct violation of their rights as human beings, and citizens
of the United States."
The petition further states that: "even clients
... who were somehow deemed qualified ... are not usually happy with
the results. The Navajo members are helped first, no matter how long
the ... Hopi clients have waited. But no matter what tribe they belong
to, this does not mean they will not be ridiculed and told they do
not appear disabled and that they should leave and stop wasting office
time. This is free advice ... given by Tom Tohey and Floyd Bighorse
without either one being a qualified physician."
The petition also alleges that on many occasions, documents are never
mailed to the Farmington office from Tuba City.
"Clients who ... realize what has happened are obliged to again
prepare their own forms and then mail or fax them to the Farmington
office ... or travel to the Flagstaff Social Security office where
they do not have to put up with federal employees like those named.
Many are approved and greatly relieved that they do not have to go
back to Tuba City... where Field Representatives are scheduled from
7-11a.m. every two weeks ..."
According to Evelena Sombrero, one of the petition organizers, concerned
people have met with Supervisor Bruce Carter on many occasions.
"Bruce Carter promised us in a January meeting that he would
straighten out these problems," Sombrero said. "But here
it is August, and things are as bad or worse than ever. even employees
in the office who stand up for the elderly end up getting abused."
In the petition, references to assorted meetings with Bruce Carter
are made: "Possibly this position is too much for Mr. Carter
to handle; in which case, he should step down and let someone else
who can handle the situation take over and make the Tuba City office
a pleasant place to visit and conduct business."
Sombrero said that support for the petition continues pouring in from
throughout Indian country.
"People from Kayenta, Shonto, the Hopi villages, Red Lake, everywhere
are signing up. We are doing this as a whole community," she
said. "We have tried to go through the system to correct the
problem. We met with Carter in January, we have received verbal promises,
but now our calls are not returned and our meeting requests are ignored,
so we are working with the people to try and decide what to do."
Calls to the Farmington and Tuba City offices asking for their position
on the situation have not yet been returned.
| Top |
Jail costs too high, panel says
Group seeks alternatives
Zarana Sanghani
Staff Writer
GALLUP — McKinley County administrators and local law enforcement
officials are working on ways to shorten the time people spend in
the McKinley County Adult Detention Center and save the county some
money.
"The county has taken those dollars that have improved the quality
of life and (put them in) jail costs," said Steven Seeger, a
local defense attorney who is a member of the committee looking at
alternatives to incarceration. "Before, the county used to spend
money on positive things for the community."
Last year the county gave some money to recreational and beautification
projects, but this year, all funds were tied up in the budget for
county operations, which already has gone through several cuts, said
Judie Krauklis, the county finance director who is also on the committee.
This year's budget allocates about $1.7 million for jail expenses.
Last year, the county spent $1.6 million, and 1998-1999 cost almost
$2 million, Krauklis said.
Management and Training Corp., which operates the jail for the county,
charges the county $35 a day per inmate. The county uses an average
of about 135 beds a day, the rest go to out-of-county inmates. MTC
shares the profits it makes off the out-of-county inmates with McKinley
County. If the county used fewer beds, it could save money and make
money at the same time.
One way to do this is to see which inmates are being kept unnecessarily,
Seeger said. Many people sit in jail for a long time simply waiting
for their court trial.
The committee members discussed getting one or two people to conduct
pre-trial services, which could ameliorate that situation. Other communities
in New Mexico, including Aztec, already use pre-trial services successfully,
Seeger said.
The services would involve researching the history of the arrested
person and finding which monitoring method best suits him or her.
The jail may monitor people by requiring them to call in regularly
or by using an electronic monitoring device, such as an ankle bracelet
that tracks the movement of a person.
Chapter houses may help people living far from Gallup keep in touch
with the court, Seeger suggested.
If the pre-trial services coordinators think one of these methods
would work with an inmate, they could then advise the judges whether
it would be safe to let the inmate go and if the inmate would be expected
return for the court date.
An electronic monitoring bracelet would cost one-third the cost of
keeping someone in jail, Seeger said in a letter giving these and
other suggestions for alternatives to the county jail.
The pre-trial services can also include alcohol and drug screenings
so that if people need to get treatment, they can get it as soon as
possible, when the memory of the arrest is fresh and motivation to
attend counseling is higher, Seeger said.
Federal and state grants may be available to fund pre-trial services,
Krauklis said.
The committee also agreed to look at the bond schedule, which is a
chart that tells how much bond a person must post to get out of jail.
Some committee members said the bond schedule may be disproportionately
high and un-affordable for inmates.
However, other members said bonds should not go so low that being
arrested would no longer be punishment.
The committee also considered awarding good time to prisoners who
are serving sentences (not just waiting for their trial date). Inmates
can earn good time by doing community service or taking part in other
positive activities. For their good time, prisoners would get credit
toward their sentence.
For example, if inmates work so many days cleaning up city roads while
they are with the jail, they would get a certain number of days taken
off their sentence. Good time could begin accumulating while people
are in jail awaiting trial. The committee still needs to decide how
the time would be awarded.
Good time awards would move prisoners out of the jail faster and help
prison guards discipline and keep better control over inmates, said
Cody Graham, the jail warden.
The committee will also try to set a target number of prisoners. When
the county prison population goes above that number, judges and other
law enforcement officials should meet to see if prisoners are staying
in the jail unnecessarily, committee members said.
The discussion at the committee meeting on Friday stirred many other
issues among the committee members.
Mayor John Pena said eventually the city and county jails should be
merged. He called the two jails a "foolish duplication"
because the jails hire the same type of personnel and must provide
the same services.
Krauklis said part of the reason the city and county don't share a
jail might be politics the McKinley County Commissioners voted to
build a separate county jail five years ago.
The committee members also discussed how to prevent people from going
to (and coming back to) jail. The conversation touched on various
topics from providing more continuous treatment to getting newly-released
inmates a job to improving public schools.
| Top |
Holyan outduels Yazzie
Santiago Ramos
Sports Editor
CHURCH ROCK - It was one of the closest finishes.
By a narrow margin of just $10.77, defending Indian National Finals
Rodeo all-around world champion Ed Holyan edged out Donovan Yazzie
for all-around honors when the 79th Annual Gallup Ceremonial Rodeo
ended on a hot Sunday afternoon at Red Rock State Park.
Holyan, who received a trophy saddle as he captured the Ceremonial
all-around title for the second year in a row, outdueled Yazzie in
the same events, steer wrestling and calf roping. Holyan ended up
with winnings totalling $1,772.34 while Yazzie finished with winnings
of $1,761.57, a difference of just $10.77.
Holyan, also the defending steer wrestling world champion with six
world titles (three all-around world titles, two calf roping world
titles and one steer wrestling world title), amassed winnings of $1,055.52
in the steer wrestling competition and added winnings of $716.82 in
calf roping. Yazzie earned even more than Holyan in the steer wrestling
event with winnings of $1,090.70 but trailed in the calf roping with
earnings of $670.87 that turned out to be the final difference...
| Top |
Sago, Hnilkova have successful workouts
Carrie Loretto
Staff Sports Writer
RED ROCK STATE PARK — It was just another Sunday workout for
the winners of the Ceremonial Half Marathon held at Red Rock State
Park Sunday morning.
Defending men's champion from 1998 Loren Sago won his second title
in 1 hour 16 minutes and 50 seconds, beating runner-up Leo Biah of
Flagstaff by a minute.
"I thought it was going to be a lot closer," the former
SIPI cross country and marathon All-American said. "After being
on the treadmill this week, coming down the hills, I got blisters
and my calves are sore. But I've been training on my own, I'm just
trying to stay in shape."
Sago, of Mescalero, will compete next at the Governor's 10K in Cloudcroft...
| Top |
Two doctors join tribal vet clinics
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The Navajo Nation's animal health care program
is now back to full staffing with four doctors of veterinary medicine.
Program Manager Glenda Davis said the addition of Dr. Robert Noll
in Window Rock and Dr. Harold Rinker in Shiprock rounds out the veterinary
staff. Dr. Joseph Bahe has been in Tuba City since 1988 and Dr. Scott
Bender has been in Chinle the past three years.
Rinker succeeds Dr. Art Heller in Shiprock. Heller enlarged and improved
the facility before he left the tribally-operated program and Rinker
held a grand opening July 18 of the brand new part of the clinic for
small animals.
Davis said a separate facility for large animals is about 10 percent
complete...
| Top |
Cop accused of rape
Christopher Schurtz
Staff Writer
GALLUP — A woman is accusing a city police officer of raping
her while she was in custody.
Gallup police Capt. Bobby Silva did not release the name of the accused
officer named and said that there is no truth to the accusations.
He did confirm that a rape report was taken at the hospital Friday
afternoon.
Silva said a report still was being prepared this morning.
Rehoboth McKinley County Hospital confirmed that a woman was admitted
into the emergency room about 3 p.m. Friday but did not report the
nature of her visit...
| Top |
Plants focus of symposium
Catherine Coolwind Feher
Special to the Independent
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Internationally-acclaimed ethnobiologist Gary
Paul Nabhan will be the keynote speaker for this year's Arizona Ethnobotanical
Research Association (AERA) symposium.
The symposium and flute concert by Navajo musician Carlos Nakai will
be held Sept. 15-17 at Cline Auditorium in
Flagstaff. For the first time, Northern Arizona University (NAU) is
co-sponsoring the plant symposium.
"We are very honored to have Gary Nabhan address the symposium
this year," AERA founder Phyllis Hogan said. "We are also
thrilled to have Carlos Nakai and his wife, herbalist Pam Hyde-Nakai,
with us once again this year. Carlos will be making a rare solo appearance
at our special concert, and we are very excited."
Nabham has joined the faculty at NAU, serving as director of the school's
Center for Sustainable Environments...
| Top |
Grants men recovering from crash
Roni Polk
Staff Writer
GRANTS — Two young people are recuperating from injuries suffered
in a car crash last week.
An announcement made at the Grants City Council meeting last week
incorrectly said that more people had died in the crash, which occurred
near Seboyeta on Aug. 6 and killed two young men.
A source close to the family of Andrew Kiefer, 19, of Grants, said
he underwent a second surgery on Thursday at University Hospital in
Albuquerque. Cibola County Sheriff Manuel Lujan said Friday that Kiefer
"went into the surgery strong" for a reported hole in his
liver.
Kiefer remains in intensive care, having undergone surgery Tuesday
for a blood clot in his brain. He was reported to be moving, but still
incoherent...
| Top |
Deaths
Jos E. Acevedo
GALLUP — Services for Jos E. Acevedo, 70, will be held at 10
a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 15, at Gallup Christian Center "The
Door." Pastor Greg Johnson will officiate. Burial will follow
at Sunset Memorial Park.
Visitation will be held from noon to 7 p.m. today, Aug. 14, at Rollie
Mortuary Palm Chapel.
Acevedo died Aug. 10 in Gallup. He was born Aug. 8, 1930, in Pasadena,
Calif.
Survivors include his sons, Chris Acevedo of Lompoc, Calif., Jamie
Acevedo of Phoenix, and Paul Acevedo, Peter Acevedo and Lawrence Villanueva,
all of Gallup; daughters, Monica Martinez, Dolorse Sherman, and Patricia
Montoya, all of Gallup; 21 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
Acevedo was preceded in death by his sons, Jerry Acevedo and Jos Acevedo
III; parents, Jos Acevedo Sr. and Louise
Acevedo; and a brother, Jesus Acevedo.
Pallbearers will be Christopher Acevedo Jr., Jamie Acevedo, Paul Acevedo,
Peter Acevedo, Ray Sherman and Lawrence Villanueva.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Rose M. Koehl
ALBUQUERQUE — Mass for Rose M. Koehl, 83, will be held at 9:30
a.m. today, Aug. 14, at Our Lady of Guadelupe in Albuquerque. Burial
will follow at Mout Calvary Cemetery in Albuquerque.
Koehl died Aug. 11 in Albuquerque. She was born Feb. 19, 1917, in
Kelley.
Survivors include her sons, Kenneth F. Koehl Sr. and Candido Garcia,
Albuquerque; daughters, Bobbette H. Griego of Grants and Hazel A.
Baca of Gallup; 16 grandchildren; and 47 great-grandchildren.
Koehl was preceded in death by husband, Fred Koehl, and son, Lewis
Koehl.
Pallbearers will be Archie S. Baca Jr., Alex S. Baca, Kenneth F. Koehl
Jr., Thomas Griego, Candido Garcia III, Donald
Garcia, Edward Garcia, and Fred Garcia.
The family will receive relatives and friends at Our Lady of Guadelupe
Center.
Edna Begay Moffett
CANYON DIABLO — Services for Edna Begay Moffett, 82, will be
announced at a later date.
Moffett died Aug. 11 in Chinle, Ariz. She was born Aug. 8, 1918, in
Sand Springs, Ariz., into the Tangle People Clan for the Deer Springs
People Clan.
A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m. (MST) tonight at Tuba City
Chapter House and at 6 p.m. (MST) Tuesday, Aug. 15, at the Leupp Chapter
House.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
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