little portable fire pit that ….
little portable fire pit that we put in the middle and started a fire.” He said his cousin Sasha Fourstar stayed with Morgan and Howe throughout the night. Other tribal leaders present included former Fort Peck Tribes’ chairman Justin Gray Hawk Sr., Veterans Affairs director Medicine Bear Lone Warrior, Michael Turcotte, director Youpee and Melvin Scott and Michael Black Wolf with the Fort Belknap preservation office.
On Wednesday, graves were dug for Morgan and Howe at a repatriation cemetery near Poplar Municipal Airport and burial ceremonies were held, followed by a memorial feed. A community procession included riders on horseback, local students and a firetruck.
“We brought them out, and there were songs that were sung, and then we put them into the ground and the people had an opportunity to help bury the two boys,” Fourstar said.
Thursday began with services for Christine Redstone emceed by Tommy Christian at the Freda Fourstar Community Center in Frazer. A procession to the burial site in Oswego followed services, with songs and prayers offered. Family members assisted with the interment and attendees returned to the community center in Frazer for a feed and talks from Lance Fourstar and Jonny BearCub Stiffarm. A feed was also hosted by the Wolf Point Community Organization Sunday evening at the community hall in Wolf Point.
Redstone said she had anxieties as the repatriation dates approached, but relatives and tribal leaders handled the details impeccably. “One of my worries was that the children were not given the right care when they were buried, but when we got home, it was truly a relief to know that they were buried with proper care and the love they deserved,” she said. “This does close a chapter for me, but this process has shown me that repatriation is a long battle and will go on for as long as it takes to return what was taken from the Fort Peck Tribes.”
