Outgoing mayor receives Indian name

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The Blood tribe Elder still calls him "Dave."

But make no mistake, said Florence Scout prior to Lethbridge Mayor David Carpenter's naming ceremony-it is no lapse of respect. The retiring mayor is "Dave" to Scout because she's comfortable and familiar with a man who has shown respect for Native people in word and deed.

But in her blessing and prayers for the mayor, Scout will now use a new name. Pita-Poot-Ta. Flying Eagle.

"I put it together the way I see him," said Scout. "I see him as the big boss of the City of Lethbridge. He runs it.

"He's just like a chief on the reserve with the councillors." Scout was quick to add that it's not just her who has seen this leader opening wide his arms to all the peoples who share his homeland with him. The naming, Scout said, shows the appreciation of all the groups involved with the Lethbridge Aboriginal Interagency Committee. That's why the LAIC invited more than 200 of Carpenter's colleagues-native and non-Native-to the June 20 gala in honor of his 25 years as mayor.

"In a way, I'm blessing Dave," Scout said. "It's for the people, for the societies he helped with: the Treaty 7 Housing Project, the children's societies and the Friendship Society."

Chief Peter Strikes With a Gun of the Peigan Nation called Flying Eagle "an honorable man who invited delegations and dance troupes, always appreciating the diverse cultures around him." Strikes With a Gun said "It makes us proud of your city, that we can celebrate together at powwows."

Lehtbridge Alderman Dr. Barbara Lacey echoed practically all the gala's speakers, saying that "bridges of understanding" have been built between cultures during Carpenter's quarter-century in the mayor's chair. "He established the Native liaison advisory committee," she said.

"He gave Natives a voice for their issues. We have built on the trust he established."

Even the generation gap was bridged on the night before Aboriginal Day. Eighteen-year-old Michelle Fox of Cardston and sisters Karla Red Crow, 15 and 17-year-old Deanna Red Crow of the Blood reserve sang a most appropriate song to the mayor. Say My Name, the pop hit of Destiny's Child, took a whole new meaning. Fashion shows, featuring the clothing designs of Gerri Many Fingers and Maia Kelman proudly brought strong traditional Native themes into the 21st Century.

Carpenter, wearing the sash of Metis Nation of Alberta with his suit, accepted his name with grace, spreading his incredibly long arms toward the sky.

"I was born here," he said. "My father and mother contributed a lot to Lethbridge, and they raised me with an open mind toward different cultures."

While Carpenter passed credit for his achievements to his family, he also shared it with others in the civic government. "It's not just one person that does it all."

Nevertheless, Florence Scout wants credit given where it's due. "Dave has done a lot for Native society," she said. "Not just for the people here in Lethbridge, but also for the reserve.

"Dave is always willing to give a hand. When a person is called to give a name to a person, that person will do it through dreams and visions." Scout said Carpenter is the product of the vision of his ancestors.

Chief Strikes With a Gun noted that "as we cross our visible borders, we should greet one another."

And if it's David Carpenter you are passing on your journey, it might not just be David Carpenter.

Say his name.