THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 30, 1995 TAG: 9503280092
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Wearing brightly colored feathered headdresses, about 25 Pamunkey Indian Guides and their invited guests sat cross-legged on the floor in a broad circle surrounding a candle-lit clay pot.
Someone had misplaced a handcrafted gas campfire, and the clay pot had been offered as a temporary substitute.
``Watch out for that candle,'' chief Grey Wolf continually cautioned his young tribe. ``We don't want any accidents.''
As Indian chants and drum beats filled the activity room of the Downtown YMCA, tribe member Red Anekus (a.k.a. Marc Powell) called the roll.
One by one, Indian Guides with such names as Angel Dove, Princess Dancer, Wind Whistler and Thunderbird rose to get new feathers for their headdresses.
``Tonight, we have a new member,'' the chief announced at the end of the roll. ``Joshua, welcome to the tribe.''
Already wearing a feather-filled headdress, 2-year-old Joshua Coplon stopped playing with the tribe's talking stick to peer at the chief, better known to the youngster as ``Daddy.''
``Let's call you Little Wolf,'' said the chief, who goes by the name of Steve Coplon most of the time. ``If you want to go around the room and give everybody a high-five, that's OK.''
The newest tribe member, however, was already busy playing with the stick again. Ignoring his father, he began jumping around the room, watching himself in the mirror.
With an understanding smile, the chief continued his meeting.
``Tonight, we have five families in attendance and three guests,'' he told his tribe. ``Silver Fox, beat the drum eight times to represent the number of families and guests we have here.''
As the Indian drummer pounded away, a couple of tribe members jumped up and did an impromptu dance.
``Hey, that's great,'' the chief said. ``I think this is one of our best meetings yet.''
But the monthly Pamunkey powwow was far from over. In fact, it was just getting started. There was wampum to be collected (donated by guides who had done good deeds), a show-and-tell on the life of Pocahontas (``I saved John Smith's life . . . I brought great joy to the people,'' Meredith Strickland, or Angel Fish, told her tribe) and announcements about upcoming camping trips. Then it was off to the gym to play basketball, to the pool for a dip and to the aerobics room to watch ``The Lion King.''
In fact, the tribe of young Indians, ages 2 to 12, and their parents spent the entire night of March 18 ``locked-in'' at the Downtown Norfolk YMCA as part of the Indian Guides program. After watching ``The Lion King,'' they pulled out their sleeping bags and crashed on the aerobics pads for the night.
``Our purpose is simple: We like to spend time with our kids . . . and we want to offer them some good, fun family activities,'' said Coplon, a 43-year-old Norfolk business and education consultant who has taught karate at the Y for more than 20 years. ``The Indian Guides are similar to Scouts, but it's for kids and adults. We plan things like this that are wholesome and fun and bring family members together.''
Nationally, the Indian Guides program has been around since the 1920s. It was fashioned after the lives of Native Americans because of their love of the family and respect for nature, Coplon explained.
The Downtown Norfolk YMCA program didn't begin until 1992. At first, the facility sponsored several tribes, according to Danielle Hasling, the Y's youth director. But in recent years, participation has declined. Now, the Pamunkeys, with six families, are the only active tribe.
``We'd really like to see more families get involved with the program,'' Hasling said. ``It's a free program . . . and it gives families an opportunity to use the facilities here at the Y.''
The Pamunkeys meet on a Monday night about once a month to do crafts, have show-and-tell, discuss special topics, play games and other fun activities. They sometimes go swimming, play basketball or make use of other Y facilities.
The tribe also plans occasional field trips. Over the years, they've gone to Bergey's Dairy in Chesapeake for a hayride, camped overnight at area parks, visited the ODU planetarium and sponsored roller-skating parties at local rinks. The March 18 ``lock-in'' was a first for the tribe.
``After we had gym night, everybody said they wanted to come back and spend all night here,'' Coplon explained during a break in the evening's activities. ``It sounded like such a great idea . . . that we thought we had to do it.
``That's the whole purpose of this program, to bring families together for companionship. It's a great way to help kids develop their needs and express themselves. And it's such a fun thing. My family and I love it.'' MEMO: Families, in whatever configurations, who are interested in joining the
Y's Indian Guides program, should contact Danielle Hasling at 622-9622. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
The Indian Guides at the Downtown YMCA get together for a group
photo.
by CNB