Photo By Staff Sgt. Caitlyn Byrne | FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Col. Stephanie Barton, commander of the 101st Sustainment...... read more read more
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - With the drawn-out call of a conch shell, drumbeats began and dancers from the Aztec Tribal Dance Group of Memphis, Tenn. came on stage adorned in a flurry of brightly colored feathers at Wilson Theater as part of the National American Indian Heritage Month Observance, Nov. 20.
During the Aztec performance, male and female dancers came together, wearing traditional regalia including large ornate and colorful feather headdresses and seed leggings that made a rattling noise when they danced. Powerful drum beats and rattling gourds accompanied the dancers , making for an immersive experience.
Sgt. 1st Class Marquise Phillips, equal opportunity leader for 101st Sustainment Brigade "Lifeliners", 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), organized the event in honor of Native American Indian Heritage Month.
“They performed traditional tribal dances to enhance Soldiers’ knowledge of the background and history of their Tribe,” said Phillips. “We also had a guest speaker, 1st Sgt. Conrad Begaye of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Warrior Transition Battalion. Begaye shared his experiences and reflected on the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories of Native American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
“Sustainment Brigade’s command team, Col. Stephanie Barton, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Kevin Campbell, senior enlisted advisor, presented Begaye a gift for his service and thanked him for speaking at the ceremony,” Phillips continued.
For 1st Lt. Thomas Kuche, this observance demonstrated the uniqueness of the Army’s ranks.
“I really enjoyed the Native American Heritage observance luncheon,” he said. “Having the opportunity to take time and recognize the diversity that is in our Army is always an awesome experience; and like Col. Barton said, our Army’s diversity is a big reason why we as an Army are so good at what we do.”
After the observance on stage was over, organizers invited Lifeliners’ Soldiers to partake and enjoy a traditional Native American meal.
“We also had a food sampling that promoted American Indian cuisine, to include fry bread, beef chili, succotash, roasted pork, and Three Sisters Stew, which consists of lima beans, squash, and corn,” Phillips said.
Phillips emphasized the importance of holding these kinds of events because of their ability to spread awareness of different backgrounds, races and ethnicities.
“The more we understand our Soldiers, the better we can motivate and lead them to success,” said Phillips. “The event was initiated because November is recognized by law as National Native American Indian Heritage Month. I had wanted to give Soldiers and Families a live experience of real, traditional tribal dancing so that they could experience a different culture first hand and have a truer understanding.”
| Date Taken: | 11.20.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 11.22.2019 10:46 |
| Story ID: | 353006 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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