We arrived in Durango just in time for the 101st Southern Ute Tribe’s Annual Parade. This is of consequence because my daughter Lorelyn, has been an attorney for the Southern Ute Tribe for the past sixteen years and takes a lot of pride in the fact that she participates as much as she can in the cultural events and festivities as she is allowed to.
This particular event, The Parade, is something that all of the different departments of the Tribe are encouraged to represent themselves with their participation. Many of the other local groups and even individuals (i.e. Tribal Members running for various offices and the younger members vying for positions like Pow-Wow Princess) participate also and that level of that participation may, in fact, have an impact on their eventual selection.
The day was just gorgeous which meant that the turnout for this was outstanding. The Tribe’s headquarters is in the little town of Ignacio and the parade route would bring it down Ignacio’s Main Street which also happens to be Highway 160, the major thoroughfare of the region. Which also means that all of the traffic that normally would travel on this road needs to detour through other parts of town. I love it when a tiny locality gets to showcase itself on its own Main Street once a year and everyone else has to step aside. We’ve seen this before while traveling around, and while it may be a minor inconvenience you’ve got to feel happy for the local folk who get their day in the sun.
And sunny it was! The Parade was scheduled for 10 AM so we arrived a bit early to see if we could be of any assistance. Lorelyn had volunteered our services (if needed) but the Legal Department and their partners from the Permanent Fund, had been hard at work since the day before constructing their Float.
The theme of this year’s parade was “Bread of Unity”, and the obvious tie-in was a staple of Native American life, the very tasty Fry Bread. Fry Bread is viewed by some as a symbol of the past colonialism and injustices suffered by Native Americans. This is because in order to keep from starving thousands and thousands of Native Americans, the US government needed to supply some rations for them when they were moved from their traditional hunting grounds and subsistence farming areas. The rations consisted of wheat flour, salt, lard, and a few other items. These ingredients were the base for what has come to be known as Fry Bread.
Fry Bread now can be had at home or at festivals, State Fairs, and also along the highways of the Southwest, especially on Reservations, at roadside stands, and is usually topped with honey, powdered sugar, or it can be had with beef or chicken, making it a taco of sorts. This was what the combined team’s Float was made to look like, a home-made roadside fry bread stand. Not only did they have this replica of a Roadside Stand on their trailer, but they also spent the day before, and that morning, prepping and then cooking a zillion loaves of Fry Bread to be given out along the Parade Route. Most of the parade participants throw handfuls of candy to the spectators as has been done in the past. This practice, as you may imagine, has its fans (the little kids) and its detractors (the Health Community and parents (?).
Oh, did I mention that there were judges involved? The bragging rights that go along with a win are huge in this community! Knowing that, and then acting upon it, the Combined Team decided that they would actually make Fry Bread and distribute that instead of candy. We were there (I drove the truck towing the Float) and could hear the announcers (and hopefully the Judges) reactions when they found out that they were being given samples of the Fry Bread being distributed!
The best part of being there was that we were able to watch first-hand a community celebrate their heritage. The traditional garments worn by Tribal Members were just incredible as you can see from the photos. In a way, I was jealous of all of these fine folks. Being a mutt of Irish, English, and German backgrounds, I have no real ties to any ethnic origins or traditions. Being able to watch a group of closely knit folks celebrate their heritage and traditions was quite the experience and we were honored to be able to watch and participate to the level that we did.
One reply on “Fry Bread”
This post brought back so many memories for me. I was the director of the Ignacio Senior Citizens Center for a short time, circa 2011, under the auspices of SUCAP, the Southern Ute Community Action Program. Such a loving community of people. Thank you for the memory.