Explore: Expo at 50
This year marks 50 years since the World’s Fair came to the city of Spokane in 1974. Many of us tribal people may remember Expo ‘74 and participating in the Tribal Pavilion at the war dance. Maybe you remember panning for gold or having an Expo ID card. Maybe you remember your grandpa drumming and singing to bring the dancers in. Or you remember your auntie helping you get your regalia on before grand entry. There were tepees set up and visitors traveled from all around the world to the Expo World’s Fair. I remember Etta Adams, “Big Mom” as her family calls her, being our whip woman. (A whip woman is a cultural position in the tribe that makes sure everyone on the war dance floor is following protocol.) I remember my great grandmother Sadie Boyd speaking in the Salish dialect and my grandmother Ida Peone-Boyd interpreting and translating Spokane Salish to English. I remember fighting with the loggers next to us. It seems like it never failed, when our elders would be praying or explaining history, they would start up their chainsaws. To this day, I can’t believe someone would put a bunch of Natives next to loggers with axes and chainsaws!
As we embark on the Expo ‘74’s 50th celebration, I would like to share a little history of how our tribal involvement originally came to be, just months before the World’s Fair opened and where we are today in planning the events of the Tribal Pillar. A whole series of Tribal Pillar events began in May’s opening ceremonies and runs through July 4.
Expo ‘74 powwow
Expo ‘74 was the first world’s fair to focus on the environment. The Spokane Tribe and other tribes, such as the Coeur d’Alene Tribe of Idaho, served as host tribes for the “Native American Earth” at Expo ‘74 in Spokane. There were many other tribes that participated: the Kalispels, Colvilles, Salish-Kootenai, Nez Perce and Umatillas were represented at the fair.
Bingo SiJohn, of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, was a coordinator for her tribe and recalled: “Whenever we (the tribes) would get together to perform, everything was put aside. This is what was called Unity among the Tribes. War Dancing is one thing all Indians enjoy doing. A lot of us learn to War Dance and sing the songs before we learn to walk and talk.”
Some remember Francis SiJohn and John B. Flett with Cliff and Jim SiJohn at the drum singing songs. Roger Moses shared that he his brothers represented the Spokane Tribe at the opening ceremony and closing of Expo. Celina Goolsby, Carol Evans, Colleen Cawston and others served as hostess at the Indian Village sharing the tribal history and explaining the dances to the international audience. Spokane Tribal members Junior, Merle, Ray and Andrew were construction workers and helped build the Expo buildings. Perry Tonasket, who war danced and was dressed in Sherman Alexie Sr.’s beadwork, remembered the visit of famous gymnast Olga Korbut’s to Native America’s Earth.
Sadie Boyd shares her story
The Spokesman-Review reported on July 7, 1974, that Spokane Tribal elder spoke and shared when Indians “owned” the river.
“Visitors to the Native American’s Earth recently had the opportunity to learn about the early days of the Spokane are from the Indian point of view. The reflections were given by Sadie Boyd, 90, a member of the Spokane Tribe from Wellpinit, Wash. The Spokanes were one of the featured tribes at the Indian presentations. Each day, Mrs. Boyd was on hand relating things from the early days that happened in the Spokane area.”
“One of her main stories – which are told in the Spokane language and translated by her daughter, Ida Boyd Thomas – concerned the acceptance of a flag by the Spokanes in a special ceremony in 1910.”
That event took place at the old Spokane fairgrounds and race track, Sadie Boyd said. Four tribal members accepted the flag and a cup – which she still has – from the federal government officials. She spoke that the presentation held special significance to the tribe at the time and the event was attended by other tribes. There were 50 tepees at the site for the ceremony.
Boyd noted that the Spokanes “are the people who own this area along the river. It is our own land,” she said. “And I am going to welcome all the people from the ‘old’ countries.”
She said the bringing together of people for Expo is good and gives the Indians a chance to “share with our visitors.”
The Spokesman-Review went on to report, “Mrs. Boyd was one of the first women jockeys in history who rode professionally as a young girl,” and also noted of Expo: “It is a lot of money being spent for playing.”
Boyd said “I am glad though” “that Mr. Nixon stepped on our dirt,” referring to the visit of the president opening day of Expo. “I hope his footprints will be here for all our lives and will be there for our children to see.”
“Mrs. Boyd aided in lining up of some 183 Spokanes who participated – and she will return with another group in August when she promised she will have more stories to tell the people,” the news clipping read.
Boyd showed that she is not tied to the past – the present and future of the Spokanes is uppermost in her mind.
“I asked Mr. (Robert) Dellwo (the Spokane tribal attorney) to talk about our reservation now,” she said. Sadie Boyd proved to be a popular attraction at the Indian site with tourists. She posed for a number of pictures as she chatted with visitors about the early days both in the Spokane area and on the Spokane reservation.
Etta Adams (Cox), the Whip Woman of Expo ‘74
Many of us clearly remember Etta Adams whose Indian name was “Sapine” and “Big Mom” by her family served as “Whip Woman.” A Whip Woman is a special position held in the tribal war dance ceremony. It is a respected position that everyone listens to. She danced with a horse tail on her dance stick. Big Mom knew the dances, the songs and how we were supposed to behave. She was in charge and lined up all the dancers for grand entries. She also corrected the young people if we were chewing bubble gum or horsing around on the war dance floor. Kids weren’t allowed to horse around in case they may run into an eagle bustle and run into feathers. I was so struck by Sapine and her important role for the tribe I wrote a poem for her daughter Lillian Alexie and drew big mom’s picture in 1982.
“Etta Adams, so wise and strong.
Whip woman of Expo 74.
She taught us right of wrong,
Like so many before.
Now may she rest in peace, in her heavenly home,
Green pastures and golden streets may she forever roam.”
The war dance circle brought us all together. It was unity of the local tribes and belonging for our people as we joined the circle. It’s a powerful concept that would not translate to white culture. We are singing the songs that our ancestors sang and performing the dances and ceremonies that our ancestors have done for thousands of years. It is a connecting back to our ancestors. A time where we are connected to the past and yet empowering our future by teaching and encouraging our young people.
Songs echoing across the river
Expo was a time when the songs of our people and tribes will echo across the river where we once lived in peace. Alex Sherwood reminisced on stories from his father and grandfather,
“I remember this river so well as it was before the dams. My father and grandfather used to tell me how it was before the white man came; when, right below where we are standing, Indians from all over would gather every year from the annual salmon fishery.
It was beautiful then, with thousands coming for many miles. You could hear the shouting welcomes as they arrived, the dancing, the singing, the trading, the games, the races, always the hearty hugs and the fish! The fish sometimes so thick that it seemed that they filled the river.”