Teepee Village

The Pendleton Round-up is one of the biggest rodeos west of the Mississippi and was started as not just a rodeo but a gathering place where the local indians would come and set up there teepee's and sell their wares at the rodeo. I was known as a time when hostilities and bad feelings took a break probably because it was profitable for everyone involved. Well the tradition carries on and the teepee village is errected every year in back of the rodeo and the indian set up shop selling beads, baskets, navajo tacos and fry bread. We toured the teepee village and here are a couple of the ones that stood out...

Me (note: tourists are discouraged from going in the teepee's as they are the home of the indians during the week of the round-up. I only went in this one becuase it was empty and I think it was for the tourists as it did nt appear that anyone had used it. So don't come to the Round-up next year and go in everyones teepee and blame it on me.)

Cool art don't you think?

I think the baby really kills the effect. Not quite as fearsome with a stroller next to you.

This is a painting of Jackson Sundown he is very famous at the round-up. This is taken from his Wikipedia page:

Sundown made his living by breeding, raising, 'breaking' and selling horses. To make additional money, Sundown entered into rodeos and dominated his opponents, many of whom would withdraw after learning that he would participate. Jackson Sundown won many all-around cashpots, which takes the highest average scores from all events, though he was best known for bareback and saddle bronc horse riding. His appearance differed greatly from other rodeo riders as he wore bright colored shirts, large and elegant woolen chaps and tied his long braids under his chin. Sundown entered into rodeos across the west and in Canada until his early 50s.
In 1915 at age 52, he took third place in the all-around at the Pendleton Roundup and decided to retire from rodeo, which had wrecked his body. The following year, an artist who was doing a sculpture of Sundown convinced him to enter the Roundup one last time, an offer that Sundown only accepted after the artist agreed to pay the entry fee . Sundown was twice the age of the other semi-finalists but advanced after high scores in the saddle bronc and bareback horseriding competitions. His final ride is an event of great mythology to this day among American Indians and rodeo officianados. It is told that Sundown drew a very fierce horse named Angel and that the horse bucked so furiously that Sundown removed his cowboy hat and fanned the horse to get it to cool off, at which time he and the horse merged into one being. Sundown won the all-around event and became immortalized as a hero of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, which includes the Nez Perce.

Grandpa and Tommy inspecting the teepee skeloton.