Walters Homecoming Brings Community Together
Competitors hit the greens on Friday, July 7, at the Lawton Municipal Golf Course, where the Comanche Nation Homecoming Committee held a golf tournament for the 70th annual Comanche Homecoming Powwow.
There were 36 two-man team scrambles that hit the course after a thunderstorm.
Comanche Nation Compliance Officer Justin Boos participated in the competition. He said it took a while for players to get in the groove.
“The course wasn't playing as fast, so the greens were slow, the fairways were slow, but that didn't deter me and my team from playing our best that day,” Boos said.
He played with the CEO of Comanche Nation Enterprises, George Tahdooahnippah (napper). Although the team didn’t have fun, Boos said they had fun. Boos’ best moment was at the last hole.
“We shot 11 over for the day, and the last hole we played was hole number one out here at a Lotta Municipal Golf Course, and it's one of the harder holes on the golf course,” he said. “But me and my partner, we managed to pull out par on the hole, so I was pretty proud of that because, you know, we had a lot of bogeys and double bogeys throughout the day, so it was good to finish off in a positive way.”
Boos has been playing golf since the summer of junior high school on vacation in San Luis Obispo, California. He said it wasn’t his first time playing in the tournament.
“Every year, it’s one event that we all look forward to,” Boos said. “Because we’re proud in July every year when we hold our Comanche Homecoming down in Walters, Oklahoma, because it's a chance for us to see friends and family we may not have seen throughout the year or in years, so it's good to just be with everybody, friends and family on the golf course to reunite.”
Comanche Nation Homecoming Committee Treasurer Edward Tahahwah III said he started in 2018 and began helping the golf tournament in 2022.
“The reason why I got involved, really, because it always sounded exciting,” he said. “It sounded like a lot of fun, so this year we chose to have our annual golf tournament the weekend before so that way our entire committee could be there and we could make it more of an event.”
Tahahwah said the rain cooled the temperatures down.
“It was a perfect day to golf,” he said. “The greens were extra green. I mean, it was just, if anything, I could say it just wound up being a perfect day for us to golf or have our golf tournament.”
Tahahwah said he does play small scrambles once or twice a month.
He said 3,500 in prize money and 2,500 in door prizes were provided by sponsors, which included everything from golf balls to clubs to a range finder.
“So, we just gave it right back to the golfers and it really just made for a really awesome event,” Tahahwah said. “I had so many of the golfers reach back out and said, ‘Man, the prizes were amazing.’ ‘You guys didn't go cheap.’ ‘You weren't cheapskates.’ And so, we put our sponsors on each hole and it was just really an awesome environment and I'm ready to do it again next year.”
Their honoree, EVS Manager at Comanche Nation Casino Bradley Wahnee, said he was glad to be honored.
“You know, I've never been involved in anything like that, being honored for anything, but it was a great feeling. Thank you everybody for that,” he said. “And it just made me feel great. I mean, to be a part of that and especially be a part of the Walgreens Homecoming Powwow, I'd be recognizing it. I mean, it was good, but Eddie Edwards had been said it was a great honor to do that and I wish they would carry that on.”
Wahnee said he’s been attending the powwow for years.
“Ever since I was a little bitty kid running around here with my buddy and see the little kids the way I used to run around, face be all dirty, snotty. But you know, that's still having fun,” he said.
“You know, I mean, interacting with your buddies and just can't wait till next year to see them again. Usually, that's about the only time we get to see one of those, you know, all my friends, powwow friends.”
Wahnee said the Comanche Homecoming steps up to honor veterans. Bradley said several members of his family are veterans, including Myers Wahnee.
“He was on the plane that dropped the bomb on Hiroshima,” he said. “Ever since I was a little kid, going to my aunt’s house up in the corner there was a model plane hanging up and I was going to get it. I never knew what was going on with that.”
The festivities continued on Thursday with a luncheon at the Walters Community Building and then at a homecoming flag-raising, which symbolized the beginning of the powwow. Several Comanche Nation Princesses and programs participated in the rodeo parade.
The Walters Service Club held a powwow at the community building. Master of Ceremonies Mike Burgess said he’s a Yellowfish decedent.
He said Walters Service Club began sponsoring the homecoming powwow in the 1950s.
“And for us, it's a celebration of our warriors' return at that time coming from Korea,” Burgess said. “Now the history of our Indian people, there has always been Indians to volunteer for the armed forces. ‘Why?’ This is our land. I don't care what government sits here and says they own it…our people were born here. We're brought up here and we see this earth as our responsibility to live with it, live on it and we go home to it.”
Burgess said the powwow shares love and laughter while supporting each other during times of sadness.
“So that's what this powwow was for, was to celebrate returning warriors and to let them know ‘We care about you,’” he said. “’What you did is the highest esteem you could have.’ Even if you were elected a chief, if you didn't have those high warrior status, you would be responsible to support those warriors.”
Burgess said the powwow starts the weekend off on a good note.
“This dance here in Walters, Oklahoma and this little gathering by the Walters Service Club as a gourd dance, it's a way to initiate the whole weekend and the love, laughter we've seen today and the people who appreciated what we did is going to go through the weekend and it's going to make good memories,” he said.
Burgess said that as an emcee, his job is to educate those who attend.
Burgess said that a powwow is more than a grand entry, but with a knowledgeable MC, attendees can get the history from communities.
On Saturday, July 15, the Homecoming Powwow began with several competitions, including turtle races and horseshoe and cornhole tournaments.
Before grand entry, there were several organizations and groups honored.
Campers enjoyed a dinner break and bonding with family. Comanche Homecoming Princess Kyleigh Davidson said she’d attended the homecoming powwow for a long time. Her great-grandfather was also a code talker.
“I think it's important that we remember all the ones that fought for us like our code talkers and our veterans…I just think it's really important that we remember them people because they were really special and important to us,” she said.
Davidson said the powwow represents all the code talkers and veterans.
“Homecoming is a powwow that I've been attending since I was a really young girl,” she said. “And it's just been a powwow that I really adored and represented because I [saw] everybody out there dancing and I wanted to get into it and that's what I did.”
This is Davidson’s last year as the Homecoming Princess. She said she was glad to represent her people.
Davidson said anyone interested in getting into the powwow world should.
“Take that leap of faith and just do it because like you know you have a lot of people in your family veterans that you want to represent so you should,” she said.
The homecoming powwow ran from Friday, July 11, through Sunday, July 16.
