The Gift of Sharing : Chief Tells of Life on Reservation--and Young Audience Pledges Assistance

His arms folded majestically and a headdress of white feathers cascading down his back, the Special Chief of the Great Sioux Nation stood with kindergartners Tuesday watching Sioux dancers perform amid chanting voices and beating drums.

But before the dances, the kindergartners at Castille Elementary School, who will dress up as pilgrims and Native Americans for a Thanksgiving feast next week, heard from the chief about real Native American children their age who live on reservations under very different conditions.

Chief Phil Stevens told the spellbound audience of about 400 kindergarten through third-grade children who live many miles away, with names like Natasha Never Miss A Shot and Melanie Old Man.

“They are just like you in many respects. They love their mothers and fathers and dogs,” he said. “Many of them don’t have any electricity, running water, no telephones or refrigerators. They live in little houses with two bedrooms, and as many as 23 people in them. It is so cold and people don’t have homes of their own.”

The presentation launched a countywide “Gift of Thanksgiving” toy drive. Stevens asked the children to pick a slip of paper with the name of a child at Lone Man School on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and bring a gift for them.

The toy drive, sponsored by the Red Cloud American Indian Society Inc. in Irvine, will also gather gifts from other Orange County schools for children on four Sioux reservations in North and South Dakota and Montana.

Betsy Matias’ kindergarten and first-grade class watched intently as the dancers performed the fancy feather dance and explained the tradition of eagle feathers. “When an eagle feather falls on the ground, it’s as if a brother has passed away,” said dance leader Bob Wolf. “It means someone has fallen in war or battle.”

Others waved their hands wildly, clamoring to be chosen to participate in the friendship dance. They joined hands with the dancers, ages 5, 7, 9 and 14, to practice dance steps in a circle onstage.

“I liked the Indian dances because they were wearing shirts with feathers. They were pretty,” said kindergartner Danielle Glidden, 5. “I want to pick two names. I want to give earrings to the girls and a truck to the boys like my brother has.”

Dustin Barthel, 5, said he learned Native Americans “live in different houses than us. The way they live is harder because they don’t have (running) water or lights.”

After the dances, the class made butter and corn muffins in preparation for a feast next week when they will dress up as Native Americans and pilgrims.

First-grader Roya Aminzadeh, 6, knew all about the spirit of Thanksgiving. She had already picked out her gift. “I’m giving candy to them,” she said. “I’ve got 100 candies and I’m giving them all my candy. I’m going to pick three names because I have a lot of candies.”

Since the toy drive’s start in 1987, requests for gifts have been steadily climbing. Requests this year nearly doubled from last year, jumping from 3,500 to 7,000. With contributions from corporate sponsors, the society hopes to gather about 8,000 gifts this year, Stevens said. The group also wants to include toothbrushes and toothpaste with the gifts, he said.

“People don’t know how isolated they are. There is often nothing in the refrigerator on Christmas Eve,” Stevens said. “For most of the children, these will be the only gifts they receive during the holiday season.”