First Day of Work....So Much to Do!

Woke up to more beautiful sunshine and started the day with various breakfast options, coffee and tea.We had a quick team meeting where we added “dogs” to the safety/security list – they seem to have the run of the town.

Just prior to the Community Meeting, Ginny Weeks from the library told us the story of the Bear River Massacre, which is depicted on the buffalo hide hanging on the walls of our meeting room.

That got me thinking to how many stories I had heard in the two days since we arrived – it is a culture of story telling, and everyone has time to stop and share their stories – to the point where 75 people turned up to hear the story of the Bear River Massacre at the library when the hide was being presented after being stored away for some time.  We learned from Darrell that some found the story “healing”, but it also “opened the eyes” of some of the younger generation to a raw part of their history.  But the stories persist for others to learn and to teach. 

We then had the community meeting where 6 were present to introduce themselves, their   positions and their volunteer needs: Ginny from the BCC library, Smokey from BCC facilities, Bob regarding the teen camp, Elva from the Children’s Center, Sean Pitts from Manpower, and Craig Falcon from the International Traditional Games Society. 

As you can imagine with our diverse but flexible team, everyone found projects to interest themselves and so, many roles were filled. 

Inquiring minds learned the following:

Charlotte assisted Dr. Thomas, a Navaho, and a chemical engineer from NASA who were together running a one week camp for middleschoolers. There were 12 kids from 6-8 grade, with 5 girls that Charlotte helped supervise. Other counselors were college age, some from the University of Montana. The kids made hot air balloons out of tissue paper, and they plan to set them free tomorrow.  They also made rockets out of paper card stock and had a competition all afternoon. If you need proof – one rocket is on the roof of the Higher Learning building down by the gym.  Ask Charlotte about lunch at the “Gas Pump”. 

Kathy M, Diane and Ali went to the Eagle Shield Senior Center, where they trayed lunches for community elders. Lunch was available free to those that were seniors in the community, and for a nominal fee for others.  They got their food, sat and ate and talked. Ali played “receptionist” while lunch was being served. In the afternoon, they all headed to the BF Care Center, where they met with the activity coordinator, to determine what they could do to help out. Ali played blackjack with some elders, while Diane spoke with 80 year old Barbara and painted her nails the “brightest color in the box”. 

Kathy was put to work  as Mother Nature’s helper – working on plants that had been left out in the cold, attempting to bring them back to life so the elders have them healthy and lively through the summer and beyond – long after Team 96 is done.

Kyle had a FUN DAY constructing bunk beds, step ladders and hunting others to fulfill his free time coordinator role. Thanks Kyle! And Martha let her creative juices continue to flow, finishing up her illustrations for the children’s book she started on Team 95. Kyle and Martha are going OUTSIDE tomorrow…..if they have the energy post sweat.

And finally, after a short 15 minute drive out to East Glacier, the 6 of us: Maria, Diane, Margaret, Kathy, Bunny and Gale, drove down a small and very bumpy road to two amazing houses in the woods.  The bigger house was  cedar cabin neighboring a garden which houses not only beautiful pieces of art but most of all Deanna Leader, the creator of the International Games project. On the other side of the garden was a smaller house, which held all of the games and the major office. The day started with mostly cleaning: sweeping the floor, organizing boxes, and shaking out old rugs. As the day went on there was serious improvement in both the paperwork and the organization of the games. Mainly consisting of rocks, sticks, and the occasional hacky sack, it was interesting to see the variety of games these simple items created. While Gale filled balloons with the exact same amount of sand, Bunny mastered the old sewing machine.

At around 3 we had a break during which Deanna gave us a tour of her house along with her life story. We sat on the screen porch and heard about her husband, children, and this project that has grown so much over time. After the break, Gale and Bunny headed off with Craig to accompany our fellow volunteers to the sweat, while we returned to the office. We constructed kick balls out of hacky sacks, braided yarn, and attached to the previously filled sand balloons. After we were done, we met up with Deanna to head back to the BCC, on the way stopping to pick up her grandson and his friend who had an interest in going to the sweat.

When we arrived at the BCC, we met Diane, Ali, and Charlotte along with Ann. We traveled to The Hut to eat our dinner, the choices ranging from frybread burgers to Indian tacos to Nachos. Our conversation covered what everyone had done throughout the day and so much more. We once again returned to the BCC to shower, make some root beer floats and play cards. Overall, despite the hectic-ness of the beginning of the day, I feel we accomplished a lot in ways that interested us individually.

- Maria and Diane

Day Two - Getting to Know Each Other

Global Volunteers Host Bob Tailfeathers in Traditional Regalia.

The day started with a great team breakfast. I know it was good because both the coffee and tea were refilled regularly, the sign of a good team. From there we all wandered into our meeting classroom for Orientation 101. It lasted the requisite amount of time.

It turns out the team has some very similar goals, and they are all much better than mine. Even those of us who claimed they were being selfish (Gale) had very giving, community minded goals. The three categories our goals fell into: learning about Blackfeet culture, serving with respect, and sharing our experience with other. Fortunately the group is so giving and community minded that under those three headings we even found room for occasional fun-having. It was especially fortunate that we did, because the rest of the day seemed to me to qualify as fun (despite also being culturally enlightening).

We took a reservation tour in two vans. In Ann’s van, we had breathtaking sights and good conversation. In Joe’s van, we had breathtaking sights and a better tour guide than any park ranger could hope to be (Thanks Joe!). And the rolling green hills of Montana will provide the perfect backdrop for our service projects. We returned in time for a delicious pile of lasagna at Eagle Shield, and then headed back to the BCC to meet Bob Tailfeathers. We heard his story, saw his art, smelled his art, and bought his art.

The night culminated with some card games and conversation. All in all I’d say we did a fine job learning some culture, getting to know one another and maybe, accidentally having fun long the way.
- Kyle

Another Week Begins in Browning

After helping team 95 pack their luggage into the vans, we were off to the airport. It seemed as soon as we had finished giving hugs and saying goodbyes, members from the next team began to arrive. It was exciting to meet all of the new team members. After everyone had gotten their luggage (those whose luggage had not been lost, that is), we headed to the van and began our drive back to Browning. The drive to Browning was scenic to say the least. The sky was clear, so we had a perfect view of the mountains in the distance. Once we got to Blackfeet Community College, we had a quick tour and got ready to go to dinner. Dinner was wonderful, consisting good food and conversation.

Today was the perfect start to this week. I look forward to learning more about my fellow team mates in the days to come.

-Martha

Cultural Experiences on a Blackfeet Volunteer Vacation

The day began as usual – early birds up and at ‘em paving the way for the rest of us not-so-early-birds by making coffee and setting out breakfast foods.  We each pack a lunch, and as the hour of 8am drew nearer, our community meeting would take place…in Indian time.  Only in our group -  it’s not the Indians that are tardy…( ;

Unlike yesterday, we have all had assignments, and a chance to get our feet wet a bit with a volunteer project.  So this morning we all gather to refine those assignments a bit more – some projects need more assistance, and others perhaps not the right timing due to weather or other circumstances.  This all makes perfect sense as we are the first Global Volunteer group to be at the Blackfeet Reservation this year.  So we adjust, and flex and figure things out as we go – and it all works.

Some of us are working on projects that will take place later on in the week as we also do volunteer assignments during the day.  Those of us who are not able to do a volunteer assignment, due to weather, are quickly grabbed up by others as we round out our needs with various assignments.

Today, the bookstore is open following inventory on Monday, and many of us have looked at the wonderful selection of children’s books that describe Blackfeet culture, as well as a robust selection of Blackfeet culture and history.  A selection of Bob Tailfeather’s earrings is also available at the bookstore and his quill art is tough to resist!

 

Today is not a day to stain fences, nor cut grass as it is windy, a bit cold and drizzly.  That does not matter – we simply adjust and share our skills in different ways and in different places.

 

I am fortunate to be with a group that will work with Girl Scouts at the middle school today, to cultivate interest in science and a bit of math through a “CSI” exercise.  It is great fun to be with such energized young people and to be able to contribute a bit to their summer enrichment.

 
Others are interacting in the community and having substantive conversations designed to gather information, learn and then develop ways to launch additional projects to contribute in meaningful ways.  These conversations are critically important as they inform future volunteer projects designed by those we are privileged to serve.
 

Some of our team participated in a sweat lodge ceremony and had an incredibly rich and unforgettable experience with our Blackfeet hosts.  There are no words to adequately describe the depth and impact of their spiritual  experience.

People are working at Eagle Shield with residents, in food service, helping to assist administration, visiting with elders at the Blackfeet Care Center, and in a multitude of other ways.  Clearly the culture of Global Volunteers resonates as we are able to support each other and give to others.  What a wonderful gift  - to be able to give in our unique ways to our Blackfeet sisters and brothers.

Respectfully Submitted – Alison Brown

First Day of Work Brings Anticipation, Excitement

This was the day of great anticipation: the day we would learn about our work assignments!

Our Community Partner Meeting began with a warm welcome and thanks from BCC President Dr. Billie Jo Kipp and Vice President Dorothy Still Smoking. Several representatives from an assortment of community organizations then indicated the particular needs they had and ways we might help.

After each volunteer shared his or her specific skills that they could offer in service to the community, we tried to match those skills to the most immediate tasks at hand, and the first day’s assignments were made.

One group drove out- of-town to disassemble a previously used sweat lodge because a new one is built for each occasion. Lily was surprised to find that the lodge is not as tall as she is. Five team members also participated in the sweat lodge ceremonies this evening, and we are eager to hear about their experiences.

Another group went to the middle school for training as project leaders in the Girl Scout Summer Camp. Based on the CSI program, the scouts and volunteers will have fun using investigative techniques like blood-typing and fingerprinting to “solve a crime.” And Helen expects the number of Girl Scouts to increase when they discover our youngest volunteer is helping out.

Other volunteers assisted at the BCC Library and the Community Development Center and served lunch at Eagle Shield Retirement Home. Betty had a ball playing Bingo and other games and listening to the stories of residents at the Care Center.

The best part of my day was when I worked alongside Maria – and Colin – in the kitchen tonight. We shared stories about our families, and Maria happily explained about pow-wows and the various Blackfeet ceremonial costumes on the dolls in the dining room display. I felt like I was learning about a new friend as we worked together … and that’s one big reason I came to Browning.

- Geri

Orientation Day on the Rez

The morning started with "the shower experience."  I visited the men's shower at ten minute intervals throughout the morning to check if the water Had reached a reasonable temperature for use, finally I cracked the case and found out that the handle had to be pointed at cold in order to be hot.

In the morning, I was able to talk to some of the other volunteers over breakfast.  While we were eating, Darryl Wippert, one of our connections in the community, joined us.  He spent a few hours talking to us about his life, where he had gone, and his art work.  He was a very talented artist and I feel lucky to have seen his artwork.

Next we had our first team meeting.  This meeting encompassed the preliminary team orientation and introduction to the Blackfeet program.  We played the beloved name game and miraculously no one was forgotten.  After creating descriptions of an effective team we realized that we were striving to be communicative, hard-working, patient, kind, understanding, flexible, effective, fun-loving, and later Betty reminded us the importance of Punctuality.  

After the meeting, we got our lunches from the kitchen and went to the vans to go on a tour of the reservation.  We broke up into two different groups one for each van.  We drove along the western edge of the reservation stopping to take photos of terminal moraines, mountains, and lakes as we went along.  The landscape was absolutely beautiful.  The atmosphere inside the van was enthusiastic, stories were told about the land features and songs were sung.

While driving on the reservation side, we saw sights of chief mountain, the Hudson divide, duck lake, St. Mary lake and several other beautiful sights.  We had the privilege of having a world class, "should-have-worked-for-the-discovery-channel-grade" tour guide -- otherwise known as Joe.  Joe explained all about the geological processes that lead to the development of the mountains, the glacial movements and the seemingly endless supply of beaver dams.  We also stopped in St. Mary and East Glacier to walk around, enjoy a beer with the staff and explore a hundred-year-old lodge along the way. 

Once we got back, we had a wonderful dinner at Eagle Shield Center.

Then we finished up our meeting with more talk about stuff.  Finally we wrote this journal to document our day.

- Martha and Andrew

Volunteer Vacation Begins on the Blackfeet Reservation

 

Today is my first day of a week-long service program with Global Volunteers. When I arrive at Great Falls Airport, I quickly meet Mimi, a fellow volunteer from Rhode Island. Soon enough, our team leader, Michele, arrives and introduces us to Kyle, a college student from Pennsylvania. Over the next hour, other volunteers arrive in twos and threes, gathering together by the luggage pickup.

Michele, our ever enthusiastic team leader, ushers us towards the parking lot while excitedly detailing the fascinating histories of the sites surrounding us. At the doorway, we meet Joe, our extraordinarily knowledgeable liaison with Blackfeet Community College (BCC) and Global Volunteers' Assistant Team Leader. After splitting up into two vans, the drive to the BCC passes in the blink of an eye as our guides regale us with tales relating to the Blackfeet community.

Dinner is a lively affair, kicked off by a traditional Indian prayer. Following the native customs, the “elders” are served first, though only a few embrace their status as being older (and possibly wiser) than everyone else. At the conclusion of the delicious meal, we thank Maria for her hard work and retire for the night, determined to be well rested for the next day’s adventures.

- Kevin