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| Yellow Bird Council
The following is and article written by LaBelle Webb a charter member of the Yellowbird Chapter. Started meetings in October 1974. Most of all to be together and to share stories. We met in Florence Arritts home and Myrtle Olens home. Met just about every week at first. Later every two weeks. Committee formed to get things going. Myrtle Olen and LaBelle Pierson were elected Co-Chairmen. We grew and grew. Needed another meeting place. Tried using a school, didn’ t work. Secured use of Sutter County Library. Siren would go off every time someone opened the door, and then came the police and firemen. We got the Yuba City Women’s club building on Shasta Street, it worked out great.
We decided to meet once a month. In April, we had some members from Cherokee’s of California. I believe it was a Mr. Turner who said “The Lords Prayer” in Cherokee. We joined Cherokees of California in May 1975. We had problems, worked them out and become a very close knit group. Chief Wayne Smith and wife Maxine came to most of our meetings. Maxine and Myrtle started teaching Cherokee lessons. Went back to two meetings a month, we had children meetings in the kitchen. At first we took turns with the children, then we had a very lovely lady , non-indian married to Indian who took over, I believe her name was Iris LaRue. Now calling ourselves a Council, some of us started attending Calif. State Cherokees meetings in Elk Grove. We had camp outs and gatherings at Mt Shasta Dam campground, Concow, Angels Camp ground, Sycamore grove, Hammonton Grove, Sacramento, Sophi-Wheeler camp ground. I think the first was on the coast. Yellow Bird Council name was picked after the poet, philosopher, postmaster and writer, John Rollin Ridge “Yellowbird”. Incidently at that time Yuba City was very small and Marysville a bustling city, Yellow Bird predicted Yuba City would grew into a great city and Marysville would decline. Purchased yellow jackets and had a beautiful logo on the back. We wore them to meetings, to parades (we were in quite a few) members funerals. We also wore word beads (I have a string) Eddie Alhertz made and sold to menbers only. Eddie wrote the song “We are Cherokees”, he sent it back East and had it put on tape. Chief Smith had a song writing contest and Eddie won.
Larry Calvin, I think Florence Arritt was in a few months,
I’m not sure how long. And then a young lady, Charlotte Erington,
I believe that was her name As of Dec 31, 1975 Jo Ann Landerman, Dale E Landerman, Jon Landerman, La Belle Pierson, Vernon R Pierson, Jerry A Pierson, George S Burns, Billie Moyer, Robert Moyer, Marie Hensley, Newton Hensley, Juanita Imogene Byars, Melisssa Ruth Byars, Jackie Moore, Homer Moore, L’Wayne Rowden, Laverne Ray, Martha A Powers, Juanita Powers, Barney Albert Powers, Patricia McDaniels, Norma Higgens, Dola M Palmer, Martha Milligan, Ralph Hoffman, Eldred Hoffman, Florence Arrittt, Edna Harmon, Charles E Reimers,Sr., Dorothy Reimers, Leater L Bird, Lurlene Herber, Norma M Brown, Mabel Jeremiah, Tamira Jeremiah, Myrtle Olen. |
Cherokees Of California©2004