Shoshonean Reunion brings language speakers together
Flags presented at the annual Shoshonean Reunion welcome ceremony on June 27.
By JEREMY SHAY
Sho-Ban News
VERNAL, Utah — The annual Shoshonean Reunion is currently underway hosted by the Ute Indian Tribe in Fort Duchesne, Utah with various workshops and activities on Tuesday, June 27 through Thursday, June 29.
The first day events began with a sunrise ceremony hosted at the Fort Duchesne Veterans Memorial Park on Monday morning.
Afterward a welcome ceremony was conducted for attendees at the Uintah Conference Center in Vernal, Utah.
An opening prayer was given followed by a flag song, victory song and veteran song. A grand entry followed where flags were posted from the participating tribes with representatives from each nation. Veterans in attendance were also given recognition including Shoshone-Bannock tribal members Vicki Baldwin and Darrell Shay.
Shoshone-Bannock elder Darrell Shay speaks.
Ute Indian Tribe councilman Mike Natchees welcomed everyone in attendance to the reunion. “The purpose that we come here is something that’s good for all of us — it’s the language,” said Mike Natchees. “It’s important you hold onto that for as much as you can for our relatives that have gone on. Our relatives, our grandparents and great grandparents, when they were growing up they had this language stripped from them, they had it beaten out of them and they weren’t allowed to speak the language they were born with. But yet, you see today the it’s still here with us, and I’m really glad to see everyone here to share that and to rejoice and celebrate.”
“Language unites us. We all have a similar language, the Shoshonean language, and it’s through that spirit that we learn from each other, that we share and that we enjoy each other’s company,” Natchees said.
Representatives and council members from each participating tribe gave an introduction to welcome attendees to the reunion.
Shoshone-Bannock tribal elder Darrell Shay spoke about his ancestors and how he is a descendant from the Agai Deka from central Idaho. “Twenty four years ago we passed a resolution from the Fort Hall Business Council. One of the things we talked about with some of our relatives from the Eastern Shoshone Tribe was that we should be coming together. We have a lot of threats from our surrounding areas of our reservation, and even our United States government and the state governments — they’re always after our resources. I know all of our reservations are under some kind of threat because of where we were placed on those reservations. They didn’t know what’s under the ground but they come after it later on. We talked about that with the Eastern Shoshone so we decided to do something about it — unite all of our people no matter which side of the mountains you come from, like our ancestors did. We passed a resolution in Fort Hall with the business council and appointed a committee, the Eastern Shoshone did the same thing.”
Shay explained that the Shoshonean Reunion started out in Fort Hall for the first two years, then each year after that would be hosted by a different tribe on their reservation, alternating years for each host tribe.
“I’m really glad that our dreams of the group that started came true — all of you people that are sitting out in the audience, to be together, to be as one — that’s the only way that we can be strong. And what makes us strong is the language. Our teachings. that’s what’s going to unite us.”
Lillian EagleSpeaker with her son at the reunion.
After the welcome ceremony, attendees had their choice of various workshops ranging from learning history, medicinal plant presentations, language and sign language classes.
A dinner was hosted at Eagleview Elementary where there was a handgame song blessing. The Comanche Nation led a social dance presentation, and the evening ended with royalty talent presentations.
The Shoshonean Reunion concludes on Thursday, June 29.
