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 Sho-Ban News - Fort Hall, IdahoTENDOY — A group of Shoshone-Bannock tribal members conducted a prayer ceremony Friday at the Chief Tendoy monument to bless all living things such as the sagebrush, berries and other living things. Prayer leaders Lee Juan Tyler and Snookins Honena addressed their feelings about how disheartening it was to see historical markers (<--) giving territorial claim to a different tribe. “We got to respect our territory, even with somebody else. We care about us and the animals,” said Tyler at the cemetery site. He talked about how the people learn from the beaver, ants, everything, the butterfly. And right now tribes are fighting over water. “We’re fortunate we still have the language, the culture. Many people are new age around here. They want our medicine way. They want our eagle feathers. That’s where we could only show so much because it will get in the wrong hands,” continued Tyler. Honena said the area is sacred, that a lot of things happened here, a lot of people destroyed the signs in the area. The plaque dedicated in 1990 to the existing monument was not there. He explained the smudging is to have the bad thoughts and feelings about certain people and the area to clear your mind. 
“Don’t do things. This area is sacred to the people, for you non-Indian is to understand the purpose of this monument, my great grandfather is buried here, Chief Tendoy,” said Honena, “All this area this way — all the way to Dillon, where people used to go hunting shopping, used this trail in the past.”Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Cultural Resource committee member Claudeo Broncho and Tribal Land Use Commissioner Tony Shay were also present. They sang prayer songs with Tyler and Honena. All four are descendents of Lemhi Valley residents who were removed from the area to Fort Hall. Also in attendance were Bureau of Land Management employees Steve Wright and Scott Feldhausen, along with tribal elder Lucy Diaz, her husband Joe and their daughter Barbara Edmo. Honena explained that a lot of history is behind the location at Tendoy and his great grandfather Chief Tendoy didn’t want to go to Fort Hall. He resisted in his heart because he wanted to live in his homeland. After Chief Tendoy passed away and the Shoshones were moved to Fort Hall, Honena’s grandfather Topompey was made the leader. The white people gave him the name John Tendoy. Honena’s sister Lucy knew John as the Chief in Fort Hall from 1907-1929 when he passed away. “I’m kind of surprised to be looking at this Nez Perce trail coming down the road. Just because the Nez Perce was on the run through here,” said Honena, “the Fort Hall Council didn’t want them tied in at one time but the state of Idaho says that’s it. What can you say, the government you know. We’re still resisting a lot of things that’s happened here.” He said here’s where we want our prayers for good thoughts and everything to be all right. “Seems like just a memory now,” said Honena, “What I’m saying is the prayer is felt, you may not see or hear it, but it’s all around here, still they can see us. When I come here in my way when you go into different country you always give offerings, like cedar or something, give and pray, I do that when I come here in the mountains, I give offerings and pray. Here to the people, the Agai Dika.” Honena wants the residents of the Tendoy and Lemhi Valley area to understand this is ancestral country and the Guards of the Rockies lived here. In history, it has been changed, as Honena explained the Natives live under the government now but deep in the heart “were still here and in prayers.” And with those words went into prayer. In 1914 a letter was delivered to the Citizens National Bank of Salmon requesting a monument be put in place for Chief Tendoy, at the head of his grave to mark his resting place. The marker was a tribute to the Chief who was held in high regard by his fellow band members and from his white friends. The Lemhi Valley Indian Reservation came into existence by an executive order for a mixture of Shoshone, Bannocks, and Sheepeater Indians, which was rescinded in 1905 and in 1907. “Lemhi Trail of Tears” was referred to by those who were forced away from their ancestral homeland to the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. “We had an agreement, Nena Tendoy Tissidimit she said at one time. The Chinese people lived here. The white people didn’t like them digging for gold so I guess they wanted to get rid of them. So later on they wanted to get rid of the Native people too,” said Lucy Diaz, Honena’s sister and Chief Tendoy descendent. Since the band was removed from the Lemhi Reservation in 1907 members return “annually to visit the area and Topompey visited his father’s grave, whose friendship for the whites during the settlement of the Lemhi Country saved them from serious trouble with other warring tribes, and as evidence of the high regard which he was held, his white friends subscribed a fund ($100,000) and placed a monument at the head of his grave to mark his last resting place,” the letter read and was signed by M.M. McPherson. The letter was officially stamped by “Headquarters Official Copy Fort Douglas, Utah.” A wooden memorial designed by BLM painted with the dates of 1905-1907 is at the entrance of the cemetery and reads: Dedicated to the Lemhi Indians who were forced to move from their homeland in the Lemhi Valley to the Fort Hall Reservation. Below that wording is a list of the people who forcibly walked the trail to Fort Hall. As Diaz viewed the names she talked of the people and the last names that she knew. Diaz said the name Woodayogo, Roger is her great granddad, Elmira Beaversack is also one of their aunts. The Woodayogo name was changed three times, Leland changed his to Bear. And Robert changed his to Wooda. “A lot of people think we’re related to Bear’s but we’re not,” said Diaz, “A lot of people are gone. Majorie Yellowstone, I’m related to the Yellowstone too.” Lucy and Joe have been married for 62 years and Joe says he heard Lucy’s grandmother Nena talk about a lot of the oral history. “We heard it from Cora George and Fannie Silver,” said Lucy, “My grandmother was young when she married Topompey (John Tendoy).” There are many names on the wooden memorial at the cemetery entrance. The Sho-Ban News will publish the names in the near future, also with more information regarding this visit and the meeting with BLM officials and the City of Salmon. Clarifications: The feature story “A prayer for Agai Dika ancestors” information regarding Lucy Diaz was inaccurately reported in the Sho-Ban News May 5 edition. •Honena’s sister Lucy knew John as the Chief in Fort Hall from 1907-1927 when he passed away. The right date should of read 1907-1929. •”We had an agreement, Nina Tendoy Tissidimit she said at one time, the Chinese…” Nina’s name should of read Nena. Nena is Lucy’s grandmother. •Lucy and Joe have been married for 62 years and Joes says he heard Lucy’s mother talk a lot about the oral history. It was not Lucy’s mother but was her grandmother, Nena. •”We heard it from Cora George and Fannie Baker,” said Lucy, “My grandmother was young…” It was not Fannie Baker but Fannie Silver who related oral information to Lucy. Pohipes are of Shoshone descent and not Bannock as stated in the article. |
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