Update of our Mission and the Rocky Boy PowWow

It's been so long, and it's overwhelming to think of catching up from where I left off. So I won't. 

We've been meeting so many Indians out at Rocky Boy Indian Reservation. They are generally a very friendly people and seem to like us. Many of them would like to come to Church but have no way of getting there. They either don't have cars or they don't have money for gas to go the 35 or so miles. Our ultimate goal is to get a branch out there, but that would mean there would have to be a few good Priesthood holders to run it.

We have one family who has had all the lessons and wants to get baptized but they can't seem to make it to the required 2 times at Church! They say they will after PowWow season is over. Seems like their priorities are a little skewed... Anyway, they're a nice little family with two small kids. 

We are also teaching a family where the mom and dad are members but the teenage kids are not, so we are teaching three of the girls. They are a really nice family too but unfortunately the girls don't seem that committed to showing up at the appointments! That is a common occurrence out on the reservation, people not being there when you have an appointment set up. It's a little frustrating to drive 35 miles, with these gas prices, and have no one home! 

We went to the Rocky Boy PowWow two weekends ago and had such a great time. I'm posting some pics from that. It's really pretty spectacular. The regalia (don't call them costumes if you want the Indians to like you) is so elaborate, as you see. They had several drum circles and they were pretty awesome too with loud beats and that Indian singing. They are actual songs but it's not words they're singing. I guess it's like Indian "scat singing". There were probably thousands of people there and concessions and gambling. I kept taking pictures and zooming in to get the beadwork, which I really admire.

This is Thursday of the PowWow.

Children's Day. 

So cute. 

They were all given $20 for dancing in some of the dances. Check out the picture of
the little girl clutching her $20 bill! I took so many pictures of that little girl and her sister.

         
 This is her sister, getting her face painted. They were from Arizona. 

 Indians came from all over the Western states!

This is from Saturday at the PowWow. There are some kids on this day and I'm assuming they're competing. 

This is a man watching his little son dancing. 

He was only about three or four years old and it was so cute! 

He was quite serious about it!

 There are some with "jingle" dresses.

 They have little bells sewed onto their dresses so they jingle when they dance.

 Then there's the "fancy shawl" dancers. 

Some of them almost looked like they were Irish dancers. 

Very beautiful.

The men are either "traditional" or "fancy dancers". 

There's the Prairie Chicken dance and several other kinds, most of them having to do with birds.

There were five different drum circles. The drum beat and singing was loud!

It was so interesting. We were really out of place with Dad's suit and my skirt. We saw a few people we had visited that are members of the Church.

The place was packed and we were all wading through mud since it had just rained. I won't even go into the restroom situation!!