Duckwater Community Projects 1983-85: Physical Education: Duckwater Shoshone Tribal School

When you work for a small community, you become involved any many different activities.  On of those was helping the Duckwater Tribal school with recreation.  I had experience with community recreation in Hyrum, Utah where I grew up.  I also drew lots from materials I borrowed from Clyde Buff, who had graduated in recreation from Utah State University.  I too had taken a class in this topic.
My first year in Duckwater I was pressed for some consistent things to do.  As a result I volunteered for doing physical education at the Duckwater Shoshone School.  Usually I would try to fill the time with activities.  These were games and activities I found in a large book Clyde had from school.  We played some pretty fun games.  One of the favorite was "pomp" a game I played growing up in Hyrum.  We went through lots of games, and then picked the ones we liked best.  We played a crab walk soccer and chase games, and pomp became a favorite.  He also did several different types of relays.  We also played freeze tag.  During the winter we had the use of the tribal gym.  During the summer we played outside.  Then we played softball.  We also played soccer and tag.
One year Jan Halstead helped sponsor an American Lung Association Olympic marathon.  This event was a joint County School and Tribal School event.  The kids took pledges and then participated in several different Olympic type events.  These included broad jump, Frisbee throw and a short dash.  I helped train the kids and then participated as a judge for some of the events.
Another joint event was a jump rope-a-thon.  Jan also helped sponsor this.   Some of the kids took part in this as well.  We had fun in P.E. jumping rope and practicing for this.  Rondee Graham, one of the younger children, was a very good jump roper.  When we did the jump-a-thon groups of four would take turns so one of the four would be jumping all the time.

Duckwater Community Projects August 1983-June 1985: Volleyball League

I organized and ran a volleyball league both years we lived in Duckwater.  We had five or six teams each year.  Most of the teams came from the Native American, but we also had one community ranch team which is the team Sheri and I would participate with.  We would have regular play, and then a tournament at the end of the year.  Willie Blackeye was usually the star.  His team won the championship both years.  Other teams included the Duckwater Shoshone School team which had many teachers and spouses.  There was also a team of tribal employees, and another community team with many from the George family.
I would arrange for the purchasing of trophies for the first place team.  I also got more than my share of officiating volleyball.  It seems I was in charge of the net about every game, but I could get someone to watch the lines for me.  JerDean Moyle, a senior in high school, would also help with the officiating.  The league was co-ed and the rule required three women participate at all times on the court.

Duckwater Community Projects August 1983-June 1985: Spring Festival

As part of my work in Duckwater I helped organize a Spring festival, and was part of putting together the first festival, which is still held today, although no longer in the early Spring.
As part of my work I put together a pow-wow type of festival each May.  It included a youth hand game tournament, community dances (Native American and country western) a community barbecue (the tribe would provide the beef which the barbecued in a pit in the ground) a chuck wagon breakfast, booths, games, including hand game and card playing areas.  It was really a fun time.  I especially enjoyed doing some round dance and listening to the drum.
The booths were nice.  One year we bought a couple small doll Shoshone cradle boards at a booth.  Also a beaded small hat.  Sheri purchased beaded moccasins which she wore for many years.
One of the problems of the festival was getting the booths set up, and getting electricity to them.  They were pole framed, with green branches placed over the top to provide shade.  The frames didn't come down, so they were available for the next year.  The electricity was provided by a long extension cord run from a nearby building.  The cord had to by run through a culvert.
 The second year it fell upon me to make a horse shoe throwing pit for a tournament.  Wayne Dick and I drove an old pickup to a place on the reservation where there was sand.  We got a pretty good load and filled in a couple areas to provide a good landing for the horseshoes.  I had to measure things four or five times to get the pits and stakes to where I thought it would work best.
We also had a pool tournament at the recreation center for the younger crowd
Many people helped.  Virginia Sanchez worked at the school, and she was instrumental with putting together the youth hand game tournament.  She and I co lead the organization.  Mary Lou Gomes and Kathy Millet also helped greatly.  These were my coworkers.  Jerry Millett was the tribal chairman.  Irwin Watson who worked for the tribe provided tremendous support with the barbecue pit and other tasks.  They had to watch the meat most of the night.  Mitchell Maes, Wayne Dick and Howard Thompson helped with setting up the shelters.  Of course others in the community helped as well.  The entire community helped with a pot luck and little tasks as needed.  The entire year I would sell candy and pop  from the office to make money for the event.

Duckwater Community Projects August 1983-June 1985: Save the Children

Save the Children was an international organization to help communities.  They would sponsor individual children, with the goal of using the money donated on behalf of the child for community projects.  The idea behind the projects was to lead towards self sufficiency.  Of course there would always be some personal giving to the individual child.  The children of the Duckwater Reservation were sponsored through this program.  I remember one year just before Christmas, I received a big package of donated items for Christmas.  I distributed them to the different families on the reservation like a day before Christmas.  I worked on this project most of the time I was at Duckwater, and it was finally established before I left.  I did leave before the actual community project was started, so I am not sure how the money was used.  However, most of the kids had a sponsor before I left.  A community based board was in place to supervise the money and assure it was used for the benefit of the community.

Indian Legends: Water Baby and Stone Family

Dan Millett was a tribal elder at the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe when I worked there.  A couple times he came by my office just to talk.  One time he told me a couple Indian legends.  I wish I had been able to take notes, or record them as the stories were fascinating.  In the case of his version of the "water baby" you could easily see how this would encourage a young mother to take care of her babies.

Being from Duckwater, this has a local slant.  The water baby is a kind of spirit creature that inhabits the water, in this case the Duckwater ponds which are formed by the springs.  It is the custom in Duckwater to put babies in a cradle board.  The cradle board raps them up tight, which is very soothing to babies.  However in can lead to a mother being lazy.  They might hang the baby in a tree, where the wind will gently rock the baby.  However, if left in the tree, the baby may be inhabited by a water baby.  This is most likely to happen if the baby is fussy.  If a baby is inhabited by the spirit of the water baby, then it will also inhabit the mother while nursing.  If this happens the mother becomes a zombie like creature--half alive and half dead.

The legend of the rock family I did not get as well.  He talked about a family from the Reese River area.  Somehow the family had been turned to stone.  He said he had actually seen the stone family.  They were gigantic.

The Halsteads from Duckwater

Amie, Emily and Jan and a couple friends

If it hadn't been for Butch and Jan Halstead, Sheri and I would not have survived the desert. Well, maybe Sheri would have, but I wouldn't have.  I started work in Duckwater a week before we were married. I went alone to  Duckwater that first week.  After a couple days camping at the Currant Creek Campground, I found a ranch house to rent from Butch and Jan Halstead.  Meanwhile at work my boss, Tribal Chairman Jerry Millet, thought I should go to Elko to meet with the BIA people who had written the grant for my position, so I would have a better idea of what I should be doing.  Elko was a couple hours north of Duckwater, and the first 30 miles were dirt road.  I made it there fine, but I must have hurried too much on the way back, because I hit the bottom of the car and caused a leak in the gas tank.  I didn't know what to do.  I got to the ranch house as someone told me to patch the leak with gum, and it worked to a degree.  However I was done, until Butch came and rescued me.  We took the gas take off and drained the gas into a can for later.  We then blew a vacuum through the gas tank to make sure there were no fumes.  Butch took me to Ely where some one welded the tank, then brought me back and we reattached it to the car.
There were other times during our stay when our relationship with the Halsteads was important.  They had gas on their place, and we were able to purchase gas from them and then pay them back.  It beat paying the rural gas station prices, or driving to Ely just for gas.  We went to their house and watched movies.  Sheri helped teach at their kids', Amie and Emily, school.  Sometimes I helped Butch on the ranch.  They had just gotten a bailer that made bigger bails, so there wasn't a lot of hauling hay, but I helped with the preparing feed a few times.  Sheri and I also visited a cattle round-up with them.  We played volleyball together and participated as the "ranch team" in the Duckwater Shoshone league. 

Mitchell Maes

http://www.coyote-tv.com/2011/08/05/duckwater-man-killed-in-fatal-rollover/

Mitchell Maes who I knew from Duckwater and discovered passed away.

People of Duckwater

Jason and Charlie Watson

Luke Baca

Rondee Graham and Cindy Thompson

Matilda Thompson

Mitchell Maes and I eating pies

Mike family

Hilda Thompson and Family

Doug George and Family

Duckwater Branch, Sheri and I, Irene Mike and Sophie Allison

Kathy Millett on right

Danny and Lillian Millett

Sheri and Indian princess (Mike girl)

Susie Thompson and family

Top Row- Joe D Millett, Charlie Watson, Mike Hooper, Perline Thompson, Rondee Graham.
Bottom Row- Joseph Mike, Darrell Thompson Jr., Angel Graham, Corrina Thompson (Nestell), the little girl is Michelle Thompson, Maltida Thompson, and Tsianna Thompson.

Please help me with identification of people in pictures

Billy Boy's Sympathy Cards

These cards came from Duckwater friends, Lund friends and family.

Duckwater Shoshone Tribe

Milton and Joan Gardner

Mom, Charlie and Dianna

Dan and Lillian Millett

Bishop and Dawn Whipple, Lund

Duckwater Round Dance

When I worked for the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe, I learned there was great power in the round dance.  The step is relatively easy, so this is a dance in which I participated.  But the power of the dance is in a large group forming hands and dancing.  One time I danced with the school children; and on another occasion the entire community participated in the dance.  The music and the step seem to increase feelings of camaraderie.  The times when I participated, everyone held hands and the circle was complete.  This video gives some idea of the music and the step.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT55U8q3kOE