"Sioux North" Tribe of the GA-Sioux Nation North Valley YMCA Y-Princesses

L to R:Shooting Star, Red Feather, Little Deer, Beauty Pony, Bright Star, Little Bunny, Golden Dove, and Singing River

In early January, the tribe packed up and went to the San Bernardino Mountain and YMCA Camp Whittle. We all wanted to see snow, but the only snow we saw was the man-made snow at the ski lifts. The best we got was sleet the first night, and frost on Sunday morning. The snow came after we left.

The first to arrive was Broken Wingand Beauty Pony. Next to arrive were Running Rabbit and Red Cloud, with Little Bunny and Red Feather in tow. The Chief (Flying Elbow) and Bright Star arrived next, together Big Buck and Little Deer, and Laughing Bear, Singing River, and Shooting Star. Last up were Thunder Cloud and Golden Dove. We had so many people we needed 1½ cabins! Luckily, we got our money in early, and got nice cabins this year (working heaters, double-paned windows). Shortly after our arrival, Red Sky had assembled the creature comforts: an outdoor heater, an awning for the rain, and a porch lantern. As usual, the girls claimed the top bunks, while the dads claimed the bottom. Red Sky and Red Feather remained at the cabin to fix their own dinner, while the rest of the crew went into Fawnskin to have dinner at a little southern restaurant.

We were all up by 7:00am on Saturday morning, ready for the feast of pancakes, oatmeal, and bacon that the Y served up. We then did our morning activities. We started with a visit to the Arts and Crafts center. Some girls made picture frames, and others made tomahawks. We had left our tribal banner back in the city, so some girls started work on a new banner. The picture on the right shows Singing River and Golden Dove working on the banner, which we hung on our cabin that afternoon. After arts and crafts, we went on a hayride, where we saw the climbing rock.

All the girls wanted to see the climbing rock, so we hicked over there. Nono was there helping to teach the girls how to climb. Our champion climber was Red Feather, who went up and down the rock like a pro! You can see her happy face in the picture to the left.

Lunch was burritos and tacos. With lots of beans. After lunch, we went back to the cabin to prepare our skit for the evening and get ready for the nation games. During the nation games, we collected pinecones (185), passed beans on a spoon, and cheered the other tribes on. We then had another activity period. This time we went to the lower ropes course. We learned the value of teamwork as we passed by each other on a long, sorting ourselves by hair color; as we swung over the pit; as we passed through the web rope; and as we walked on the ropes.

That evening we dined on chicken, cheesy potatos, veggies, and chocolate pudding. We then had the campfire. We did our skit (a Christina Aguilara song), and Big Buck won a prize for shooting a bulls-eye at archery. We went back to the cabin, where the girls had a slumber party, and the dads sat outside shooting the freezing breeze.

The next morning, we had a sumptuous breakfast of eggs, sausage, and oatmeal (they tell us you need the calories for the cold weather). The freeze overnight had left frost on the meadow. We worked on packing and cleaning our cabin, while the girls climbed on the rocks. We were all sad to go; we had made so many good friends (the picture on the right shows new friends Little Bunny and Beauty Pony)

We are all looking forward to our next meeting at Running Rabbis's house.

Disclaimer

This site is presented in conjunction with the North Valley YMCA's Y Guides/Y Princesses program. It is intended to comply with the Y Guides/Princesses guidelines on the usage of the Native American theme and culture. No offense to Native Americans, in particular, to members of the Sioux nation, the Lakota, the Dakota, or the Nakota is intended. Please send any corrections regarding this site, or suggestions for improvement, to the site webmaster.