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Part V: Indiana's continuing story
 Martha Gradolf, right, a decendent of the Winnebago Indian tribe, and her husband, Kim, talk with Tom May, left, of Indianapolis, at her booth at the Eiteljorg Museum Indian Market in June. Looking at her weaving and textile work is Rick McNutt of Indianapolis. The market featured Native artists from around the country. The Gradolfs are South Central Indiana REMC consumers from Brown County.
Part V: Indiana’s continuing story
 Beneath a hot afternoon sun, 11-year-old Jesica Heaton raised a little cloud of dust as she stepped in time to the beat of Native drums. While some of the dancers wore traditional regalia, Jesica wore pink shorts and running shoes and flittered with a pink “fancy shawl.”
Blowing and popping pink bubbles of bubble gum as she moved her feet, she looked more at home at hopscotch than in a Native American dance circle. But she was learning the steps and the culture of her ancestors, even if this was just a butterfly dance for fun.
This intertribal gathering at Eagle Creek Reservoir in Indianapolis in June was just one of many Native American events throughout the state this summer.
The Heatons, Jesica and sister Keona and parents Robert and Mary, whose ancestry includes Blackfeet and Cherokee, attend many of the gatherings. They dance and sell their handmade jewelry, walking sticks and other items from their White Wolf Creations booth.
The Columbia City residents are members of Northeastern REMC.
In June, the Heatons renewed their wedding vows at the Miami’s All-Nation Gathering in Parke County. Over 1,600 visitors attended the gathering.
Powwows originated after the tribes were moved to reservations as a way to retain their traditions. They’re still used today as a way to pass on the culture to new generations of Native Americans and share with all who come.
“It’s a teaching experience to let them know [the Native American culture] is alive and well,” said Lorie Parker, a Miami descendant from Russiaville, whose children were the lead junior dancers at the Eagle Creek gathering. “We might look white, but we’re still here.”
While much of the dancing is ceremonial and sacred with strict rules of decorum for participants and observers, other dances, like the ones with the fancy shawls, are for fun.
In June, the center for Great Lakes Native American culture had its fourth annual gathering in Portland. The center, created in 2001, has a membership of about 200 people spread from New York to Texas. Members include Native Americans and those with no Native American ancestry.
“The people that are involved are very passionate about keeping the Native American culture alive,” Neumayr said. “So much has been lost through removal, assimilation and deliberate attempts by the dominate culture to eliminate the Indian. But there is still a lot to celebrate.”
The group found a welcome home in Portland in 2003 and has been using the Jay County Fairgrounds and other facilities around Portland for its gatherings, workshops and lectures. The center is developing its own 30 acres of wooded land north of the fairgrounds that was donated by the Fair Board.
Neumayr said the programs and gatherings are like a family reunion. Many of the people who come have learned of some Native American ancestry in the family. “We see a lot of this. People are finding out they do have Native American heritage. They’re wanting to get in touch with that side of their heritage.”
For some participants, from places like Oklahoma who have their ancestors buried here, coming to Indiana is something profoundly more. “When they set foot on that soil for the first time, a lot of them just absolutely go to their knees … because they’re home,” she said. “The culture is not dead. It’s still being practiced right here in Indiana by people who historically lived here in Indiana.
“This is Indiana’s story,” Neumayr said.
Story by Richard G. Biever, senior editor
 The 15th Annual Eiteljorg Museum’s Indian Market, held July 23-24 in downtown Indianapolis, featured 150 professional Native American artists from around the country. An artist’s sketch shows the planned permanent cultural building at the National Center for Great Lakes Native American Culture in Portland. Volunteers with the center have been working on trails at the 30-acre site, donated by the Jay County Fair Board. Future plans for the land, which offers woods and wetlands, include the cultural center, gardens, a Great Lakes Indian village and outdoor class areas. The center hopes to break ground on some of the projects next year.
Go to Sidebar: A list of resources and links
Go back to Part IV: Indiana’s Native American Indian Affairs Commission
Go back to “Following the Path” index
Go back to August 2007 contents
Written By: eceditor
Date Posted: 7/19/2007
Number of Views: 578
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