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!

A little about myself

My name is Wesley West, but my friends call me "Buddy." I was born in Redding, California, and raised in Oregon. I am a widower who is remarried to a wonderful lady, Dee. I have been blessed with a large family. In addition to my wife, I have a daughter and five step sons, and most of them live locally. My mother also lives nearby and still lives independently. Add in siblings, cousins, grandchildren, and even one great-grandchild, and it is quite a group!

Dee and I live in Sheridan. I am an elder and former tribal council member at Grand Ronde, and Dee is Navajo. We have two cats. We spend a lot of time with our family and in tribe activites. Also, Dee and I are both artists - in our spare time!

I'm pround to say I served twenty years in the Army. One of my greatest honors was receiving the Purple Heart. After retiring from the Army, I went into a second career in HVAC. My Army career took me all over, but when I retired from my second career and my first wife passed away, I returned to Sheridan, which I consider my home town. Most recently I have served a term on the Grand Ronde tribal council. That was a great honor and also allowed me to travel and experience my Native American culture.

My greatest blessing, besides my family, is my life experience. I have more than just experience in politics. I have experience in life. I know what it's like to run a business, to make a payroll, to deal with unwieldy government regulations. And I know what it's like to raise a family. I'd like to bring all of my experience to serve my community as State Representative.

Buddy West