JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas –
Activities focusing on the cultures of Native Americans were
held throughout November as Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph observed National
American Indian Heritage Month.
The JBSA-Randolph National American Indian Heritage Month
Committee hosted several events at the JBSA-Randolph Youth Center, including a
youth poster contest, an art contest, and doll making and cooking
demonstrations. The committee also announced the winners of its annual
scholarship essay contest.
Ed Blauvelt, JBSA-Randolph National American Indian Heritage
Month Committee chairman, said the activities gave children and adults the
opportunity to learn about Native American cultures and customs.
Blauvelt said entries in the poster, art and scholarship
contests were based on this year’s theme, “Growing native leaders: Enhancing
our seven generations.”
The theme is based on a Native American premise on how the
actions of past generations of leaders are affecting us today and how the
decisions leaders make today will affect children seven generations into the
future, Blauvelt said.
The poster contest included entries submitted from eight-
and nine-year-olds. Posters are on display at the youth center. Members of the
JBSA-Randolph National American Indian Heritage Month Committee judged and
picked the best three entries. Creators of the top three posters selected were
awarded a Native American statuette.
The first place poster will be displayed at several
JBSA-Randolph locations, including the library, dining hall, the Exchange and
commissary and the Randolph Native American Facebook page.
Blauvelt said the art contest includes submissions from
students at Randolph High School that are on display at the youth center. He
said the committee picked the top three entries that will be posted on the
Randolph Native American Facebook site and entered into the Texas 4-H club
state art contest.
Other National American Indian Heritage Month activities
held at JBSA-Randolph included storytelling sessions Nov. 10 at the youth
center and Nov. 12 at the library, a demonstration by Airman 1st Class Weslynn
Wooten on making corn husk dolls at the youth center and on Nov. 19, a cooking
demonstration led by Blauvelt at the youth center in which children learned how
two Native American foods, hoe mush cakes and fry bread, were made.
On Monday, the winners of the scholarship essay contest were
honored at the Taj Mahal. Two area high school seniors were each awarded a
$1,000 scholarship and a feather fan made by Blauvelt. The scholarship contest
was open to area high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is employed
at JBSA-Randolph.
Activities conclude Saturday when Native American dancers
take the stage at the 16th Annual Honoring the Veteran’s Pow Wow at the
historic quadrangle at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The
event is hosted by the United San Antonio Pow Wow Inc. The event is open to the
general public and visitors for the event must enter through the Walters Street
Gate and show identification.
There are 566 Native American and Alaska Native tribes that
are recognized by the federal government and more than 100 tribes recognized in
states across the U.S., according to Blauvelt.
“It’s the largest ethnic group in the military by
population,” Blauvelt said.
According to the
Department of Defense, as of March 2013 there were 152,897 veterans of Native
American descent. Currently, there are 22,248 Native Americans serving in the
armed forces, accounting for 1.7 percent of the military population.