Native American welcomes at Olympic opening

[Mike Cleven]

Did any of you who might have watched the ceremonial greeting by native
chiefs at tonight's opening of the Winter Games happen to understand the
welcomes in any of the five native languages represented - Shoshone,
Ute, Paiute, Dineh and - ? Gasho? Didn't get the fifth tribe-name right,
I think.  I guess I'm wondering how accurate the English paraphrase
provided by the NBC announcers was.

The spectacle of the assembled native dancers and singers was really
moving; somehow I always get teary-eyed watching such ceremonies.  To
see peoples who have had such suffering brought on them in the past
dancing and singing with such pride and in the Olympic spirit was truly
remarkable, though, I think.  The costumery was utterly spectacular; I
got the impression that many of the costumes were new, specially
designed and made for the Games.  I'm sure the international audience
and the foreign times were wowed by the whole thing; probably the most
spectacular part of the ceremonies, and as I said incredibly moving.

I couldn't help but wonder about the Vancouver 2010 bid and whether or
not our native claims will be resolved in time for BC native nations to
take as visible a part in the Games, if we actually do get them.
Unfortunately the same business community that is promoting the Games
bid is also the same stockbrokery corporate bunch who are behind the
anti-native agenda of the current government; but without native support
it might well be that the bid will fail, which is truly sad if that were
to be the case; IMO the native claims are an even more important factor
in the bid than any highway improvement or sport facilities may ever be
(although it's not as if human rights and self-determination issues in
China stopped the IOC from granting Beijing the 2080 Summer Games.   As
some of you may know, there is staunch opposition to the Games bid by
the St'at'imc and Secwepemc peoples protesting the Sun Peaks expansion
near Kamloops and the Cayoosh ski resort plans between Mt. Currie and
Lillooet.

I don't mean to get political here; only to express my sadness that our
province's political morass on this issue may prevent BC's native
nations from having a chance to stand and dance as proudly before a
world audience as Utah's native people's did.


--
Mike Cleven
http://www.cayoosh.net (early BC history)
http://www.hiyu.net (Cayoosh Jargon phrasebook/history)