Comanche Nation Fair Spirit Walk 2023
At 7 a.m. on Sunday, October 1, participants of the Spirit Walk gathered by the Comanche Nation Powwow grounds.
Spirit Walk Co-Sponsor Caron Yellowfish said she started working for the tribe in 2000 and was asked by the chairman then to put on the spirit walk.
“But it's for wellness, so it could be for diabetes, it could be for, you know, our spiritual and substance abuse,” she said. “It could be for any ailments that a person has. It's just to help people think about the loved ones they've lost from alcohol abuse and other illnesses. And just for the goodness of our tribe. They want people to be healthy take care of themselves, so they can live a long life.”
Yellowfish helped provide snacks, refreshments and T-shirts for the event, which had a lot of participants this year.
“Many people think that's too early, no one's going to be there,” she said. “We pull in right before 7, and there is a long line. And the coordinator who facilitates the cedar ceremony, he's already praying for someone. It's dark, and there's already a long line waiting. And we pull up and pull out the tables and the shirts. Once they get through with their cedar blessings, then they come over to us. This last year, we ran out of shirts before daylight came.”
Yellowfish said the walk has several moments of prayer.
“They pray before they start. Then they go to each direction of stop and offer prayer until they come back. And then they pray when they end,” she said. “One year, they gave this young gentleman, who's probably under ten years old; they asked him to pray. And he prayed a long prayer, and he made a lot of people cry. They said it was probably the best year they had. But each year, the count keeps growing. But there's no need to have to sign up early. Just show up; we're going to be there.”
Yellowfish said she enjoyed the event, which has changed over the years.
“Now, when they used to have it when they first started, one person would carry the eagle feather and walk the walk and come back and hand it to the next person,” she said. “And the way we did it was just have the person who's leading the walk to carry that eagle feather. And everybody walks together. And it's a sight to see. Most of them will put their shirt on over whatever they're wearing. So, you see a big gathering. They all walk together.”
Yellowfish said she and the co-founder look forward to the event every year.
“We never know what the theme of the nation's fair is going to be. So, that's how we determine what we're going to put on our T-shirts. But we do put the flyer out with the other flyers for the events of the fair,” she said. “And we get calls, people asking us, ‘How do I register?’ ‘Where do I have to go?’ But the people who attend, most of them come each year. At least three-fourths of the people come each year. This past year, we've had some brand-new ones. And they were more like guests coming in from out of state. So, we thought that was awesome. So, we had our regulars, and then we had a whole lot of new people.”
