Apparition Lake by Daniel D. Lamoreux & Doug Lamoreux

Author:Daniel D. Lamoreux & Doug Lamoreux [Lamoreux, Daniel D.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Creativia
Published: 2014-06-26T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Fort Washakie lay south of Crowheart and for the most part, passed its time as uneventfully as every other reservation town, with the exception of Tribal Council nights. On those occasions, Indians from communities throughout the Wind River Reservation gathered in Fort Washakie to discuss the problems of business, and the problems of life, as they were unique to the reservation.

In the center of the meager Fort Washakie business district stood the Community House. It was a large, single story, concrete block structure. Truth be told, it looked more like a bomb shelter than a community center. As with most government projects, its construction had been funded and then forgotten. Maintenance had never been budgeted and any care the building received was from a proud few. Dollars were short but the building was a central point of self-respect for those who still cared about such things. Eggshell white paint must have been the bargain because that was the color chosen for both the exterior and interior of the Community House. Though it had been a number of years since its last fresh coat, it was nonetheless kept clean and had a quiet air of respectability. The concrete walkway at the front of the building was swept clean, the weeds had been pulled from the cracking asphalt parking lot, and the debris and garbage always carried on the wind had been policed from the grounds. The building was presentable and ready for the evening's meeting.

Two sets of gray steel double doors were the only entrances to the structure; one set squarely in the middle front of the building, the other its mirror image at the rear. The only other openings through the solid walls of symmetrical concrete blocks were two small, sliding-glass windows, one on each side of the front doors. Function, not fancy, had been the order of the day when this brainstorm was conceived and architectural genius was certainly not a necessity in designing this gift to the reservation people.

Upon entering the front doors one was greeted by a single, huge room lit by harsh, fluorescent bulbs strategically and precisely placed on the ceiling to assault the sensibilities of anyone and everyone who entered. To the far left and back corner were separate doors for the two rest rooms while a small alcove took up the remaining space in the front left corner. In this space stood a tiny folding card table upon which lay a half-dozen paper plates of home baked goodies; cookies of three varieties, brownies, and cupcakes. On the air was the sweet, delightful odor of banana bread, compliments of the Tribal Elders' wives.

Beside the plates were two pitchers of fruit drink and a stack of paper cups, simple but satisfying. Those in attendance could ill afford the luxury of treats in their regular diets but Tribal Council nights were special. They were not merely business meetings they were social gatherings. One of the few occasions when the people met their extended neighbors and brethren on their own turf, in their own time, and for their own purpose.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.