Keeper of the Plains turns 50 at Wichita’s big party
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – The ‘Party for the People’ was in downtown Wichita this weekend to celebrate and honor the Keeper of the Plains.
The symbol synonymous with Wichita is now 50 years old. It was created by Black Bear Bosin–a Native American artist who worked to capture the Native American spirit and history of the Wichita area.
“We’ve always loved the Keeper. It’s a place of community. Like they said in the speech earlier, there are always people down here. People are friendly down here,” Damian Mercer said.
The party was held at the Mid-American All-Indian Museum with loads of activities and vendors.
“Everybody’s talking, everybody’s having a good time, just enjoying the city, and I feel like the keeper brings that together for everybody. So for us, that’s what brings us here,” Mercer said.
For some people attending, it was like a rite of passage to attend an event focused on Native American culture and traditions.
Lacey and Wendy Bowles are of Native American descent, so coming to celebrate the Keeper of the Plains was a big deal for them.
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“The Cherokee comes from my side of the family, but I’ve never really done much research on it. Just found out about it late in life and so she’s taking the ball and running with it and doing some research and learning some history in our family,” Wendy Bowles said.
The native dances were big at the party, getting lots of attention from the crowd inside. And that’s one reason why they came to the party but also to learn more about their heritage.
“Learn about your culture and where you come from because that’s something that Native Americans as a whole, no matter what tribe you’re from, are losing. They’re losing their individual cultures. There’s several different cultures, several different languages, hundreds of thousands and I would urge people just to learn about stuff like that,” Lacey Bowles said.
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