Lily Gladstone: Paving The Way
More than 350 empty white chairs filled the recently built arbor at the center of the campgrounds in Browning, the headquarters of the Blackfeet Nation.
Later Tuesday, those seats, along with bleachers that surrounded the perimeter of the building, were filled with families, friends, children and tribal leaders from the Blackfoot Confederacy, all in attendance to celebrate Lily Gladstone.
The ceremony was meant to welcome home Gladstone, who was born and raised on the reservation before moving to Seattle, and honor her with a stand-up headdress, a tradition that recognizes a member of the community who has demonstrated leadership, respect and responsibility.
âItâs people like Lily who are paving the way for a better tomorrow, and as you can see hard work, it does take you a long way,â Blackfeet Tribal Business Council member Pat Armstrong said during the celebration.
Gladstone, Blackfeet and Nez Perce, an actress who studied at the University of Montana, last year starred in Martin Scorseseâs film, Killers of the Flower Moon, which was based on the nonfiction book written by David Grann about murders of the Osage people during the 1920s.
Her performance garnered Gladstone âBest Actressâ in the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards, as well as an Oscar nomination. When Gladstone won her Golden Globe award, a first for a Native actor, she delivered part of her acceptance speech in Blackfeet.
The ceremony last week included presentations from tribal leaders and Gladstone, a round dance, a feed, and the opportunity for community members to personally meet and congratulate Gladstone.
For many, it was a chance to embrace what is possible.
âItâs true, if you work hard you can do it,â Gladstone told the crowd that included scores of area children. âI feel so lucky and blessed that Iâm Blackfeet, that I get to be here. I was brought up and I continue to be brought up by all of you. I try to do my best to bring everyone up with me because thatâs what we do, it makes us who we are.â
âItâs really a special thing to be who we are, to be where weâre from, and I know sometimes it could be a really hard thing, too, but all good things are hard things and are shared and we take care of each other. I would not be here, I wouldnât have been able to do anything good with my life if I didnât come from good people.â
Gladstoneâs ceremony brought together the four bands that make up the Blackfoot Confederacy: the Siksika, Kainai and Northern Peigan-Piikani, who all come from Canada, and the Southern Amskapi Piikuni from Montana. Several tribal leaders praised Gladstone and noted what her accomplishments had meant to their communities.
âIt showcases Blackfeet to the world,â Blackfeet Business Tribal Council member Everett Armstrong told Montana Free Press. âThe significance of being on a world stage, our language being on a world stage. The presence of a Blackfeet person on a world stage. It just means everything to me.â
Theda New Breast is a part of the Blackfoot Confederacy Womenâs Stand-up Headdress Society that gathered for the celebration. The society members are women from across the Blackfoot Confederacy who have earned the right to wear the headdress. Multiple rows of women who wore their headdresses sat on the side of the main stage during the event.
âWe have over 200 womenâs stand-up headdress society [members], and weâre thinking at least a third of them are coming today,â New Breast said. âTheyâre the ones from Alberta that donât come down to America, but they want to honor Lily.â
Another Blackfeet Council member, Robert DesRosier, spoke during the event and welcomed Gladstone home.
âOne of the things she said last night that really struck me right here,â DesRosier said, motioning to his heart, âwas, âItâs like I made it full circle coming backâ and thatâs what makes us whole when our brothers and sisters come down, and weâre full circle and weâre relatives and we all love each other.â
The Browning communityâs youth also shared their support for Gladstoneâs homecoming. The Stamiksiitsiikin Bullshoe Elementaryâs kindergarten and firstgrade students and De La Salle Blackfeet School students each gave a prayer in the Blackfeet language.
âItâs just a big inspiration, especially to our youth here in Browning,â said Mariah Posey with the Pikuni Youth Council. Gladstoneâs accomplishments âshowcase that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.â
Carol Tatsey-Murray, who in May, along with Gladstone, will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Montana, said that the celebration was impactful not just for the younger generation but for the tribal elders as well.
âIâm here to honor the achievement of a Blackfeet lady, and Iâm very, very impressed that the whole world acknowledged her and so I just wanted to come and be a part of it,â Tatsey-Murray said. âIt was amazing. Although there were a lot of youth, I think it was just a kind of a dream for the older ones to just dream that it could happen. It could happen, and itâs happening. Thatâs whatâs amazing.â