Village residents enjoy Native American night

An activity at Apple Village Assisted Living Center brought back memories for Horace Rumsey.

The 95-year-old grew up in Colorado, and he said many Native Americans lived there.

"I used to see a lot of Indians in Colorado," Rumsey said. "The Indians would put on a program and go back to the reservation."

Apple Village Retirement Village, 2600 E. Hobbs View Circle, Layton, held a Native American culture day June 12 to teach residents about the early inhabitants of the United States.

"Our activity director, Margo Hawker, is trying to plan things to broaden the horizons of residents," said Shelly Nettesheim, Apple Village community relations director. "She thought that it would be good to ... expose residents to things they probably didn't get when they were growing up."

The celebration kicked off with a presentation by Robb "Little Owl" Martin, who came dressed in full Plains-style regalia. He explained the significance of his clothing and told a story about his "washichu" teeth. He also displayed his collection of flutes and played several songs.

"He makes his own flutes," said Charlene McKenzie, an Apple Village resident who attended the presentation. "He made a flute from cherry tree wood (from his grandmother's yard), and when she died (Robb) played it at her funeral."

Olive Carr said most of the information Martin presented was new to her, but she had fun anyway. "I always like to hear about other cultures," she said. "I just enjoyed the whole program from beginning to end."

Martin's costume, especially his braids, fascinated McKenzie. "(I loved) his hair. He had it in three different braids," she said.

Helen Coe, another Apple Village resident, was impressed with Martin's music. "He plays real good," she said. "Some of the songs were real pretty."

Later in the summer, Nettesheim said Hawker is planning to have an Arabian Nights adventure and transform the activity room into a setting with big tents. They might even have belly dancers perform, and Apple Village will provide Arabian cuisine.

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E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com