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Tribal Education honors students and women

Both the Salish Pend d’Oreille and Kootenai Culture Committees present the cultural preservation awards to persons who give tirelessly of themselves towards the preservation of traditional values, languages and spiritual guidance. Alice Nenemay Camel is the 2009 Salish Cultural Preservation Award recipient (courtesy photo)

PABLO — The Tribal Education department has been floating their boat without a successor at the helm, but it did not deter them from honoring the reservation’s finest students and three strong women for the cultural preservation and the lifetime achievement awards.

Jason Smith, a staff member for the 2009 Montana House of Representatives gave the keynote address, said his education began with the elders who taught him how to live and how to be respectful.

Smith who said mothers are the backbone of the family was humbled and honored during the event. “My job in Helena is easy compared to the work [mothers] do,” he commented.

Alice (Nenemay) Camel was nominated by the Salish Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee as its 2009 Cultural Preservation awardee. SPO Culture Committee Director Tony Incashola commended this year’s women-honorees for giving of themselves tirelessly towards cultural preservation.

Alice Camel is a full-blood Pend d’Oreille and a fluent Salish language speaker. She was born and raised across the Flathead River and north of the Old Dixon Agency.

She loves horses (Her family had many and) she remembers riding and walking the cliffs and hills along the river with her brothers and sister.

Alice was an excellent runner and loves to tell the story about the day her parents left for town with a horse and wagon. Not wanting to be left behind, she took a short cut and beat them to the Old Dixon Bridge, running on foot.

Alice survived the loss of her parents and a number of siblings as a young child. By 15, she was hopping trains to Washington, visiting family and working. During World War II, she moved to Oregon where she became a welder, welding U.S. Navy ships. Here she met and soon married Henry Camel, a Navy Petty Officer.

Alice brought her new husband home to the Reservation where she had 14 children, two are now deceased. The family worked hard, clearing the woods and building a home on Alice’s trust land east of Kicking Horse Job Corps.

Many of Alice’s children became star athletes at Ronan High School, and others received multiple advanced college degrees and her one of her daughters is a Lt. Colonel in the U. S. Army.

Alice worked as a homemaker to assist elders in their homes and at the Ronan School lunchroom where she often served her own children and was known as an excellent cook. She has worked as an Elder Cultural Advisor for the Salish/Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee for many years.

In 1986, and in her 60’s, Alice received an Associate of Arts Degree in Native American Studies at Salish Kootenai College, where she later was awarded an Honorary Bachelors Degree.

The Nenemay Range Unit, located north of and across the Flathead River from Dixon, was named in honor of Alice and her family.

Alice has 25 grandchildren, many great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren. She has overcome life-threatening illnesses because of her strong will and has persevered to share her love and sweet smile with all of her family and friends. She awakes each day with a smile and a happy attitude and disposition. She urges everyone to be as happy as they can be and let go of old hurts and grudges, as life is too short to hold on to bad feelings. She lives each day as it comes.

Margaret Friedlander’s youngest daughter Lois almost stole the show. Lois, being proud of her mother, offered the crowd the-rest-of-story as she marched on stage and provided an in-depth biography of her mother’s accomplishments.

Margaret Friedlander was chosed by the Kootenai Culture Committee for its 2009 Cultural Preservation Award recipient. Margaret Friedlander, who many refer to as “Muggs,” thanked those who nominated her for the recognition and everyone who came to celebrate the award with her.

Muggs was born to Michelle and Adeline Mathias in 1932, in a small house in Elmo. Both “Mitch” and Adeline came from the Mathias and Big Knife Chiefdom lineages. Muggs has always been a pro-active Kootenai leader of all the Kootenai Bands, says her youngest daughter Lois.

Muggs became a strong community activist early on at a time when it was unacceptable to be a full-blood, especially one who questioned the inequities imposed on her and her people.

She struggled in her early adult years trying to balance her full-blood ways, the only thing that kept her grounded was her unwavering belief in Kootenai spirituality.

Muggs attended the Ursulines Catholic School in St. Ignatius. She developed an excellent command of the English language, but made sure that she retained her Kootenai language. Muggs finished her sophomore year in Polson. Muggs knew she would need to continue to educate herself and stress education to her children. Her children would attest that it was rare to see her without some kind of reading material. She did not have the luxury of reading for entertainment but read mostly for information, especially on current events about national and Indian politics.

Instilling self-education in her children, resulted in four of them receiving their undergraduate degrees, with three receiving their master’s degree. All but four of her great-grandchildren are currently attending college, working on their degrees or are working full-time.

Prior to attending Missoula Vocational Technical School, Muggs went to work for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, when it was in Dixon at the old Agency.

She was a Community Action Program Social Worker, community planner, and an early board member for Head Start. Muggs worked as the Tribal Health and Human Services Assistant Director until she accepted the Hot Springs High School Home School Coordinator position and founded of its first Indian Club.

Muggs then accepted a position with the Bonners Ferry Idaho Kootenai Band. She was told by the then, Tribal Chairwoman, Ameila Cut-Sack Trice that if she was interested in working for them she’d have to assist them in a war first. Amy explained that she was declaring war on the United States.

Barricaded in a small downtown Bonners Ferry office, surrounded by city, and state and federal law enforcement gunpoint, they negotiated and would regain the Bonners Ferry Kootenai land base, which had been stolen from them.

She is currently in her greatest life struggle, saving the Kootenai language from extinction, by working with the CSKT Tribal Council, developing Internet access and Kootenai language programs geared to train future teachers.

When not deeply involved with Kootenai religious ceremonies, she travels. Her travels have taken her throughout the United States and Canada, both for business and gaming pleasures. Her greatest joys have been her children, her 25 great-grandchildren and her 14 great-great grandchildren and the fact that she had her mother, Adeline Mathias, for 74 years of her life and still has the love of her life, Kenneth R. Friedlander Sr., by her side. And most importantly, she is immensely proud that all her family and her tribe are still firmly grounded in their Kootenai spirituality.

Karen Fenton, the 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient was bestowed posthumously for giving a lifetime to education, improving schools, to providing guidance and direction to youth. (Courtesy photo)

Darryl Dupuis and Dr. Joseph McDonald presented the 2009 Educator of the Year award to Karen Cornelius Fenton posthumously. Karen’s son, Ed and his family along with Karen’s sister, Carmen Taylor accepted the awards.

Karen was born on August 28, 1943, in Chicago, Illinois; and was the first Indian baby born in the Cook County Hospital. She passed away on September 12, 2006. An enrolled member of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes, she was the first daughter of Ernestine Sine Cornelius (Salish) and Arthur P. Cornelius (Oneida).

Karen graduated from Harlem High School in and received her B.S. in Business Education from Eastern Montana College. Her first teaching job was in Hysham, MT. She then received her Master’s in Education Administration from the University of Montana and later went to Penn State to work on her doctorate.

The 2009 High School Student of the Year recipient: Erich Morigeau of St. Ignatius along with his Principal Mr. Jason Sargent. Erich was presented with a custom-made Pendleton jacket sponsored by Salish Kootenai College. He is the son of Jackie Spidel and Charles Morigeau. (Kim Swaney photo)

Polson recipients L to R: Curt and Lena Burland, Parents of the year; Cecilia Gieber, Linderman Elementary student of the year; Jonel Kallowat, Middle School student of the year; Elias Adams, Cherry Valley Elementary student of the year; and Joanne Morrow, Staff of the year. (Not pictured: Marina Wheeler, High School student of the year nominee). (Kim Swaney photo)

Two Eagle River School recipients L to R: Rebekah Knudsen-Dalbey, Staff of the year and Casey Murphy-Brazill, Parent of the Year. (Not pictured: Jermain Charlo, Middle School student of the year and Jodessa Senecal, High School student of the year nominee). (Kim Swaney photo)

Ronan recipients L to R: Jacob Asencio, Pablo Elementary student of the year; Jarred Dupuis, Middle School student of the year; Ellen Rose Caye, KWH Elementary student of the year; Jacinda Tenas, Parent of the year; and Daniel Beavers, High School student of the year nominee. (Not pictured: Misty Tanner, Staff of the year). (Kim Swaney photo)

St. Ignatius recipients L to R: Jackie Spidel, Staff of the Year; Kaylie Durglo, Middle School student of the year; Kaleb Durglo, Elementary student of the year; and Brian and Susan McCrea, Parents of the year. (Kim Swaney photo)

Arlee recipients L to R: Isabelle Pablo, Elementary student of the year; Vance Home Gun, Middle School student of the year; Aileen and Albert Plant, Parents of the year; and Ken Hill, Staff of the year. (Not pictured: Shanae Two Teeth, High School student of the year nominee). (Kim Swaney photo)

Karen was extremely proud of her Indian heritage and it was always instilled in her from her earliest years to “do good for her people.”

And that she did! Throughout her career, she encouraged people of all ages to improve their lives through education. She held numerous positions during her career: Counselor with Upward Bound at Eastern Montana College; Counselor with Special Services at the University of Montana; Administrative Assistance with the Tri-States Tribes Incorporated in Billings; teacher at Two Eagle River School; Director of Tribal Education for the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Director of Native American Graduate Fellowship Program at Montana State University; Special Assistant to the President at MSU, serving as Tribal Relations Liaison; Health Educator on the Spokane Reservation; and domestic violence work for the CSKT.

As the Director of Tribal Education Karen was hired to establish and implement that program under the tribe when the tribal offices were still in Dixon; she worked there for the next 7-8 years. She returned to that position and remained there until she went to the Spokane Reservation in 1992.

Karen was also elected or appointed to various boards and commissions. She served on the first Board of Directors for SKC and during her tenure also served as Chair and was a strong advocate during those important early years that the college was established. Other boards included: Close Up Foundation, Chemawa Indian School, Montana Committee for the Humanities, and Montana Commission on the Status of Women. She also served as Delegate to the White House Conference on Families as well as the White House Conference on Indian Education. She served as President for the National Indian Education Association and Montana Indian Education Association and was instrumental in the founding of the Montana Advisory Council on Indian Education.

“There’s been a lot of people I can remember who would come up to me and tell me that if it wasn’t for my mom, they wouldn’t have made it through school. It’s pretty awesome,” said Ed Fenton. “I can remember my mom would give students money out of her own pocket, that’s the kind of person my mom was.”