Last week, UW leaders were honored at the 62nd annual Eastern Shoshone Indian Days Powwow in Fort Washakie.
President Ed Seidel; Scott Thomas, the John P. “Jack” Ellbogen Dean of the College of Education; and Gabrielle Allen, director of the School of Computing, were recognized with the gift of blankets for their work and commitment to education on the Wind River reservation.
Also honored was Vanessa Peahrora, a 2019 graduate of UW’s School of Pharmacy and Eastern Shoshone tribal member. She now works at the Indian Health Service clinic in Fort Washakie
“It’s been thrilling and deeply honoring to be here tonight,” said Seidel, who was honored for continued commitment and numerous visits to the Wind River reservation. “We are absolutely committed to partnering with your communities for education and to work with you in the future.”
“It’s a distinct honor to have a few minutes to say thank you for allowing us to spend time with you at such an important event,” said Thomas.
The Chief Washakie Foundation provided the blankets presented to the UW leaders at last week’s powwow,
“Giving blankets is symbolic of our tradition that giving and doing more for the community is highly valued as opposed to accumulating wealth for oneself,” James Trosper, chairman of the Chief Washakie Foundation and the director of UW’s High Plains American Indian Research Institute said.
“If wealth is acquired, it’s important to share that with the community through ‘giveaways.’ The Wind River reservation tribes are committed to keeping our culture alive, and education is a key to doing so. It is a collective effort.”
“As Eastern Shoshone people, we recognize the importance of education and knowledge. It is one of the core values of our people,” George Abeyta, a UW graduate and longtime teacher and coach at Fort Washakie School who is one of the powwow’s organizers, said.
“Heavenly Father has made it known to our leaders, in the political arena as well as the spiritual aspect, that education must be a priority. It was Chief Washakie who said, ‘I fought to protect our land, our water, and our hunting grounds. Education is the weapon our people will need to protect them.’”
