Nez Perce Ceremony, Vancouver, Washington

Today I attended a special ceremony by the Nez Perce tribe, which commemmorated their imprisonment at Fort Vancouver from 1877 - 1878. Several Nez Perce tribal elders were in attendance. The theme of the ceremony was forgiveness and unity. I was honored to be part of it. Here I am with my step-son, Dennis, on my left, and Boy Scout leader Bruce Jolle on my right.





One highlight of the ceremony was when a Vancouver Boy Scout troop presented an Appaloosa colt as a gift to the Nez Perce tribe. The Nez Perce are famous for breeding Appaloosas, and this colt would be used to strenghten their stock. The Nez Perce tribe also brought some beautiful horses to the ceremony. The regalia was spectacular.




The photo on the bottom is the new colt, and the beautiful and cold lady posing with me is its breeder, Regina.
A lot of people attended, including a lot of brave-hearted elders, because it was really cold out there today!