ECW Rummage Sale
Please mark your calendars. The ladies of ECW will be holding their annual Rummage sale on November 16th, 17th and 18th. We will begin accepting donated items on October 1st. Please bring your items to the fellowship hall. If you have any questions contact Jo Laslo.
We just finished a thirty-one day streak of temperatures above 110° with many of those days at or exceeding 115°, officially the hottest summer on record. We’ve now had a couple days respite (so to speak) with some places even getting some monsoon storms. But it seems that August may want the last word as our current long term forecast has us right back to temps between 110° and 115° with little to no chances for precipitation of any kind. Ah, summer in Arizona!
The annual O’odham New Year Celebration (Solstice) was held at the Huhugam Heritage Center in Chandler on Friday, June 23 at sunset. Lynn Graff, Bill Robinson and Barb Press attended the festivities and had a wonderful time. Various sister tribes were present including the Salt River Pima and Maricopa people whom we acknowledge as the ‘traditional custodians of the land our church stands on and their unique role in the life of this region’. Lynn, Bill and Barb were impressed by the atmosphere of hospitality. Values were part of the opening words – reminding everyone to treat people and the earth with care and respect, to be kind to others, to lend a helping hand, to dance for those who could not come or could not dance, and if you won a prize, to consider giving it to someone in need. Although from different tribes, people belonged to community. Individual reflections are shared below and see the accompanying photos.
From Barb Press: I never experienced anything like it before and felt honored to be able to be there. It was very enjoyable – the food, the people, and the event. The amount of dancing was amazing. The dance steps looked simple, but it took stamina to continue for two hours. It was impressive to meet the “royalty” from the various tribes. The young women wore crowns and sashes, were colorfully dressed, and joined in the dancing. They were proud and poised as they greeted everyone individually and thanked each person for coming.
From Bill Robinson: In talking with several of the Native American people about crops and farming I shared information about the Crazy Chile Farm and its work and found connections to people I work with already. It seems that the Farm and our church have a positive reputation in the area. People were also discussing and upset about the Supreme Court decision that denied water rights to the Native Americans. I was very moved when presented with three shell necklaces from the dancers (see photo).
From Lynn Graff: The opening prayer included the hope that the dancers would make the earth vibrate and the music encircle us so all would feel a part of the celebration. Bird dancers gathered to dance and included women of all ages – some very young just learning, some teenagers who were a bit timid at first, and elders who made their hands, body and feet move in rhythm to the music. The social dance had two lines of people holding hands (men, women, and children) led by two male dancers into spirals, twisting or turning and entwined with the other line of dancers, constantly moving to the music. There was a definite sense of connectedness as they moved in unison. Differences and abilities did not seem to matter. All were accepted and included.