The Osage Nation Prevention Program, the Wah-Zha-Zhi Cultural Center, Education Department and Grayhorse Five Man Board all sponsored the Strengthening Native Girls workshop this year.
The workshop, which was open to girls’ ages 9-17 in Fairfax, Pawhuska and Hominy, ran from August to September.
Instructors Rebekah HorseChief and Mary Bighorse taught the girls traditional Osage ribbonwork, how to cook Osage meals, sewing and self-empowerment.
“The girls were taught what roles women had during the In-Lon-Schka and how they should help the cooks whenever they can, by helping set tables or offer to bake something; or just offer to help out and how it was important to always acknowledge elders whenever you see one,” Bighorse said.
The girls were given fabric to choose from to make aprons and sewed ribbonwork on the pockets.
“We had conversations about Mary’s [Bighorse] generation and my generation and the generation of the class,” HorseChief said. “Those conversations’ were very interesting, and I was impressed with students knowledge of their family relations and history.”
During the girls’ final workshop they cooked Osage peaches and meatpies at the Hominy Education building on Sept. 29. They wore their newly sewn aprons for the first time to help in the kitchen. They all got to help in preparing the food by chopping vegetables, mixing meat for the meatpies and preparing the peaches.
“You always cook with good feelings because it goes into to the food,” HorseChief told the girls. “Because you always want there to be good feelings when people eat the food you prepare for them.”
The girls expressed how much they enjoyed learning to cook and sew, and said that they would be helping out at home and the In-Lon-Schka camps more.
“I liked the cooking part the most, and cutting up vegetables,” said Gwen Stehno, 13, from Hominy.
By
Tara Madden
Original Publish Date: 2016-10-18 00:00:00
