"We tried to take the elders' memories of the Heart Butte Society Celebration and blend that with today," said Ken Talks About, member of the HBSC Committee this year. "The elders' information is the basis, and today the elders' role is responsible for the success of the event."
Talks About was joined by HBSC Members Gerald Cooper and Pat Calf Boss Ribs Friday, Aug. 3, in talking about this year's HBSC and the changes made with a new committee in charge.
"Back in 1992, we had lots of community support to get it started," Talks About continued. "Don Pepion at Tribal Health was very helpful in soliciting nationally for funds. That was the old way it was done. They went out for money; they didn't rely on the Tribe for that."
Talks About said traditionally the Tribe would contribute a little cash, but most of the funding would come from towns surrounding the reservation and from donations from the Heart Butte Society members and their families. "They'd save the donations up over the year because the Heart Butte Society was an active, year-round group," Talks About said. "Lots of families were involved through their members in the society, so lots of help came from families who had members in the society."
Some of the traditions this year's HBSC will feature include honoring the veterans and returning the practice of distributing rations. "They always used to have rations so they could feed the visitors," Talks About said. "They didn't' want a commercial setting; they wanted to celebrate tradition instead."
Talks About was in charge of the celebration from its revival in 1992, a result of a promise that he'd made at North American Indian Days when Joe Calf Boss Ribs gave the Heart Butte Singers a drum. That gift transferred responsibility for the celebration to Talks About, Pat Calf Boss Ribs and a few other people.
Talks About stayed in his position for seven years, "retiring" in 1998 and passing the reins on to a new group. Pat Calf Boss Ribs also "backed away" from the leadership role and managed the stick game tournament for the next five or six years.
"The most important part was the elders weren't involved," Talks About said, "and we saw it would be a mistake. Today we see how important those elders are to the society; it's a lot of respect and it's a lot of honor...This year we've got short notice so we'll make a few changes to get through this year. We took the secretary, treasurer and chairmanship offices out and we chose 'leaders' instead."
Gerald Cooper is this year's committee "leader," and he noted they assigned a few people to write proposals, implemented a finance committee and adopted an advisory committee of elders to direct things.
While the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council is sponsoring this year's event, another change on the horizon will be a return to soliciting donations every year. "We're looking for ways to change the committee to more traditional ways," said Talks About. "Let's formulate the Heart Butte Society committee the way they did years ago."
"It's all based on respect and honor," said Pat Calf Boss Ribs. "So next year we'll go back to traditions. With a chairman people think it's theirs; this way it's the people's and the society's."
"It means a lot," said Gerald Cooper of his leadership role on the committee. "It's a big responsibility, and I'm proud they have faith in me. I want people to understand that everybody is welcome at the Heart Butte Society Celebration. The committee is not going to look back but will move forward with traditions of the original Heart Butte Society."
Some of the notable changes in this year's celebration include a $1,000 or more purse attached to the Chicken Dance special. Pat Calf Boss Ribs noted the dance originated in Blackfeet Country although he says the way it's danced today isn't the way it was done in the past. In addition, teepees will be paid in order to encourage more lodges to be raised in Heart Butte. This year there will be both a Princess and Jr. Princess pageant, and as has been the case the last few years, a volunteer group called "Visions" will be on hand to assist event organizers.
Other things to keep in mind include a community feed for the elders at 6 p.m. in the campground Wednesday, Aug. 8, and a Veteran's feed Sunday afternoon at the Veterans tent. Cooper said the Veterans group is still looking for members not on their list, deceased or otherwise. To offer information about Blackfeet veterans, contact Steve Conway at 338-5404 or Gerald Cooper at 450-3817.
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