The 2026 Twin Buttes Celebration demonstrates how Native American communities honor veterans through traditional ceremonies, including flag raising, combat reenactment dances, and gift-giving, which serve as both cultural preservation and healing practices for veterans who served in military conflicts.
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2026 Twin Buttes Celebration - Sunday Morning Flag Raising
Added:Ed an anti-illegal immigration protest.
Let's hear what he had to say.
[ __ ] you.
Hey Hey, [ __ ] yeah.
Hey, hey, hey.
[ __ ] y'all.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hey, I found you.
You [music] say you finally [music] found >> [music] >> Finally, I found you.
You finally found You go. You go.
Finally, I found you.
You won't go. [music and singing] We are noting [singing] one.
[singing] Y [singing and music] [singing] [music] you alone.
Hello. We are [singing] talking [music] [singing] yo yo yo. [music] Yonlay.
[music] [singing] [music] [music and singing] [singing] [music and singing] You are watching.
[music] >> [music] [singing] [music] [music] [singing] >> You [music] alone know we all know [music] [singing] and uh we have a replacement flag for him here today.
Uh, Roger Mouse, United States Air Force, and also Tom Beaks, United States Marine Corps. So, we have five flags today.
And this is how they're being flown. To my far left is Tom Beaks. Next to him, it would be Roger.
Nathan Good Iron would be right in the middle and my far right will be Sammy Little Owl and next to him on the inside will be Aaron Ivy Senior Got about four minutes before the flags go up.
Got lots still lots to do. We're going to run through every category again today.
Uh I think they had rodeo yesterday. I missed the whole thing.
We don't have too many uh too many uh giveaways today. We have Justin's this afternoon at noon. Uh Corey is feeding uh again here at 11.
We have a team boys chicken dance special this afternoon.
Flags come down. After the flags come down, there's a winner take all.
Uh, the Hendrum contest. I think that was finished. Is that finished last night? Dylan.
Dylan.
The Hendrum. Was that finished last night? Today. We finished it today.
And then we'll announce winners and hopefully we'll be on the road before it gets dark. That's what they say.
So they say, "Yeah, you be you going to have to race to get to the 10:00 shut down.
Sneak across your regular spot.
Couple minutes.
Lots of folks on the other side of the arbor.
All right. He says he's ready. Shout Creek, if you would please. Friends and relatives wandering around the camp area. Gentlemen, I ask you to do a big favor and take your head gear off as our flags go up. Okay. Fix it.
Hey, hey, hey.
[groaning and screaming] I sing.
Hallelujah.
[screaming] Come on.
[crying] Wake up.
All right. All right, boys.
Thank you, Mr. Gentlemen, thank you >> again. Good morning to the Beaks family, the mouse family, the good iron family, Abby family, and also the little owls.
Say good morning to all those families.
We have five flags here this morning. That's kind of the most flags that I've seen flown uh in a long time.
around uh any of our Fort Berthal arenas. Uh I think years ago, White Shell used to put up quite a few.
Um usually it's been about three. Uh most of the celebration grounds on our reservation usually hold about three of them. So, it's good to see five of them being flown.
All right, gentlemen, if you would kind of ease them into it. Give them some uh veteran songs and then we'll bust out some uh victory songs.
What a go.
Song about the Germans.
[screaming] >> [music] [panting] >> Hyal.
>> [screaming] >> What it [music] go?
>> [groaning] >> Okay.
God might Oh God, God might go.
Ah, >> good song, gentlemen. Good song. Just keep them coming.
[music] >> Vietnam song.
are my user.
Where are we? Where are we?
>> [screaming] >> God.
Hey, I let us Hey, hey, hey.
Sh.
Hey. are shelter.
Hey, James is hung up your song.
Everybody.
I know I might.
That's right.
Thank you.
God.
Ah, thank you much. Thank you singers.
He's got something up his sleeve. He's talking to the singers here. So, just stay with us right here. stay in the arena. If you can, if you uh just can't go no more, just go ahead and sit the side. You'll be all right. But uh he's up to something. We'll find out what he's up to.
Yesterday he uh showed a little something that hasn't been done around here for a long long long time. is that they had uh our u councilman in the center and then they had the uh veterans dance on the inside and our families danced on the outside. That was kind to uh those what days where they uh came back from battles and did those u those dances that way.
I know in the uh grass dance societies, they have a song in there where these uh guys that would were in battle uh would reenact uh what they did in battle. Kind of a uh one of those kinds of dances years ago.
What you up to?
So, that's what they're going to do. So, we're going to have all our uh family members circle out on the outside, our uh BFW members and the ones that uh were overseas that were shot upon and they shot in return to reenact uh maybe a story that they uh did. Um, you'll see them like uh um like play out what they did in in a in a portion of where they were at. Maybe they were uh uh behind enemy lines or they were in some place where they had to uh see combat.
And that's what you're going to witness here today.
I know the dead grass years ago did that long time ago. I know the analopee society for sure did that um when I was a young guy and didn't really get to witness that. But uh uh they want all the ones that have seen combat uh the ones in yellow. I know my uh grandfather Austin is in there. Uh core usually wears the uh uh Lester Lester uh Cohart is another one.
So some of these guys are not all like wear yellow jackets, but so going to ask all your family members to come back into the circle and dance on the outside and you can witness what they have seen in battle is uh kind of re what they call a reenactment or to show uh the people what they did in battle. Uh another one right here is uh this gentleman here in the black. Uh he was there four times.
Uh Cody, Cody is going to ask you to go out in the center as well.
Any other veterans that have seen combat? They want you in the middle.
I'm going to put our gold star mother in the middle here this morning.
So you guys don't go too far after we're all done here uh doing our dances and enjoying ourselves. The uh some of the families will uh share breakfast and other families have giveaways.
So, uh, All right, he's ready.
Again, we want our family members to dance on the outside along with our uh our uh other veterans on the outside as well.
So, anytime you're ready, singers. Okay.
Hey.
Hey.
Hey, [music] Hey Everybody Come on.
[music] Hallelujah.
Hey, hey, some of these things are pretty hard to do for some of these veterans.
because it's going to take them back to some of them places where they didn't want to be in any first damn place.
But they did things that they had to do because they love this country.
Whatever the reason that they served for whatever reason they had to they had to go in.
I'm pretty pretty sure that most of these guys didn't have to be drafted.
They served this country because we loved our home.
So this is also a part of healing for our veterans.
A lot of these gentlemen and these ladies suffer from PTSD.
And we want to say thank you for for all you have done.
>> All right everybody.
Victory song.
>> Everybody dancing.
Hey, you're not Yeah.
Where are you?
Highle.
Hallelujah.
>> [music] >> Higher.
[music] >> [music] >> Ah hey [screaming] it Where are you? Where are you?
Where are they? Where are we?
Where are you?
High.
Hey.
Hey way [crying] are aha.
Where are they? Where are they? Where are we where I are?
Thank you singers. Thank you again. I want to wish uh our singers, our veterans, all the men folk here happy Father's Day and get our day started out right.
We have five flags here this morning and I believe uh probably all of them will have their giveaways. Also, we have feeds going on too this morning. Uh the Beaks family is going to serve breakfast at the big tent on behalf of late Tom Beaks, United States Marine Corps. Uh also the other flags that went up this morning if you just getting here and you're a little bit late. Roger, United States Air Force. Uh, Corporal Nathan Good uh, United States Army, Aaron Abby, Senior, uh, United States Army, and, uh, Ronald Sammy Little, United States Army. Those are the flags that went up this morning.
Oh, good morning.
The good iron family will be also feeding this morning. They're going to donate when the flags come down. Kind of that traditional older way of doing things. Uh they'll feed this morning with the families back here at the tent and then they'll do their gift giving when the flags come down at 5.
Valarian, come on over this way.
This one here, this first one they're going to start with is uh uh Sammy and they uh the men folk are up here in front, but they want all the veterans to follow this uh war bonnet and then the family will dance behind our veterans just like how they did yesterday. So veterans come on over this way.
Uh, let's come down here.
Hire me.
What I remember of Sammy is a very traditional man. Uh when we were used to be down here on the bottom, he used to come down and talk a lot and uh used the language.
He was born to Albert Little Al Senior in Josephine uh Ironbull on February 4th, 1940 and he passed in uh October 25th, 2005 2003.
Uh Sammy joined the United States Army in January 17, 1964 and was discharged on January 11th of 1969 as an E4 specialist. Sammy was one of the first organizers of the Legion Post 303 and 303 was from this district right here um and was also uh active member of the American Indian Movement. We're going to read it on a little bit more here, but we're going to dance first.
Okay, we'll let you guys uh uh go around here and we'll talk a bit more about him. So, singers, if you would please, a song about the army.
>> [screaming] >> God, high glory. Hallelujah.
Again, Hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
Hey.
Okay.
Hey, I'm going to go God.
I got it. I got it.
Thank you all singers. Thank you.
As the family's getting ready here, uh we have a little bit more to read on here. So, uh, Sammy, he went to college over at the, uh, university, State University of Dickinson.
And, uh, Sammy was always wanted to be, uh, teaching in the profession and received a bachelor's degree of arts in elementary education from Dickinson in 1983.
And there he received his educational goal. Uh he continued to teach his Native American culture uh which included the new the songs, traditions and spiritual ways. Uh I guess you would say our belief ways and lifestyles.
He also uh was uh in his spirit.
>> Good morning.
uh his spiritual ways of life continued through his uh with his family uh through Sundance families and through the Sundance ways uh for 38 plus years.
Sammy also was uh worked with the three affiliated tribes which today we call the MA nations on the repatriation program. Uh bringing many ancestors back to the homelands for rearial.
Um, back then it was just a probably a get getting started back then and they would go to these universities, uh, museums, um, these different places and and bring back these artifacts and skeletal remains of these individuals uh, from our uh, people here.
Uh Sammy married Evelyn Crowart and uh with this reunion or this union, excuse me, this union uh there was uh Leon Page Little Owl, the late Peter Little Owl and Joanie Little Owl. Sammy also raised Rose M. Kosal High and the late Norman Thomas Kros High as his own. And uh friends and relatives. Um they said when he uh they did his burial, he wanted it this way that they went the Sueway, but he was a child of the Metroas uh people. So they would like to have all the Flintai people come on over and receive these. And then you can split it up amongst the Flint Knight people. So all you Flintite people, come on over this way and acknowledge these gifts.
And then you can split it up the way uh the way you want. Whether you want to buy them from each other or Yeah. Take all that. He said, "Not just one. Take it all. Then you can split it later."
Looks like the only two flint knives here. I guess there's some others sitting around here. I know they are.
also like to have the flag bearer.
Please come forward. Thank you very much, Mr. Flag Bear, Aaron Abby Jr., this young gentleman.
very uh honored that this young man has called upon this flag.
This is the first time I had to read off of a a computer at a pretty cool technology today.
I believe this is my son's third time being a flag bear and he's uh doing a good job.
I got one in training.
[laughter] VFW post 9061.
Oh, thank you.
VFW post 9061. Yellow jackets.
Let me just hold on to it.
Young Hawk Bear 253.
What are you doing way back there now?
Hiding.
Young Hawk Bear 253.
Happy Father's Day. Here's a Here's a 253 right here.
Myron B. Johnson, Nathan. Good iron.
Post 271.
Hold on, boys. Right there. Stay right there. Hold on.
Yeah, we got to mix up. We're all right.
We're all right.
Right there.
Morning, gentlemen. Happy Father's Day.
Uh, auxiliaries. Myron B. Johnson.
Auxiliaries.
271. Auxiliaries.
271. Auxiliaries.
9061. Auxiliaries.
Auxiliary is from the 9061.
auxiliaries from unit 300.
Auxiliaries from 253 That's good for you. Uh, our gold star weather here.
our gold star mother. She might be getting breakfast ready. Maybe uh somebody can pick this up for Harriet.
Take it to her.
She's coming.
Uh all right. For that part, I'll wait.
Once our children are done, we're going to call upon any visiting veteran.
Any visiting veteran, come on out. Pick up something on the ground over here.
Visiting veterans.
A joal a from White Shield.
There she is.
Tiffany Rave.
Tiffany Rave.
There she is.
That young lady that's our visitor. She just came up and got a a blanket off the ground over here. We want her to come back.
I'm horrible with names. I apologize.
See, huh? See, I think maybe Audrey Sweetheart. There we go.
I don't want to say that. [laughter] Yeah, I finally said her name right. All the time she's been here. She's the young lady that won that veteran special at Forebears. She won herself a war bonnet.
All them goods and little cash. Yeah.
Good morning to you.
Sammy uh started sundancing. He brought it back home. Uh now this is a a history lesson about our Sundance. The uh the Okipa and the Pik. The Okipa and the They said they had that here. Not just I say here, but we didn't live right here.
We lived along the river like around Bismar area and and by Underwood and all that along the river that way. That was home to us. And there was during them times that those practices were being done.
And our Lakota relatives, Dakota relatives will say this, those older ones that know that that's where the Sundance came from was those guys, the Nook and the Okipa. And that's where it came from and took they took that they they purchased it and then we lost it. And then we went back in the probably 19 late 60s early 70s uh some of the people from here were were going to go look for it. They were starting to be active in Sundance.
And I remember as a little boy Sundance uh in New Town in the late u probably mid 80s is when it kind of started coming around. And Sammy was one of them that brought it back over this way here in this community.
and he said that there was only the handful of people that participated and Valyrian three irons was one of them and his brothers. So we'd like to have Valyrian come on over this way and acknowledge the gifts.
We sure appreciate Valyrian Valerian. He too is becoming knowledgeable of the mandan language and a song.
Sure. Appreciate it right there. Really?
Happy Father's Day.
Robert Chakalo.
Here's another one. One of those uh helpers and one of those that uh helped uh Sammy with Sundance over this way.
They said uh when they brought Sundance back this way, it was four years up uh New Town Forbears District area and then they brought it back down this way and uh he was one of the helpers of that bringing Sundance over this way.
We sure appreciate uh these singers this morning. Uh they have some gifts here for our singers, the Shakri singers.
Gentlemen, sure appreciate you guys.
They're going to bring some gifts here to you.
We still got any visiting veterans uh amongst us. There's uh two, four, five left.
Anybody that's a maybe auxiliary member that's visiting maybe from your own communities.
No.
All local veterans. They have some gifts here that are still here on the floor and we cannot leave until they're gone.
So, do we have any local veterans that are still with us?
We need to pick these up so we can As the family finishes shaking hands, they wanted to acknowledge Charlie Moran senior for his voice and talking for their family.
as we appreciate all the veterans, families and relatives that showed up this morning, auxiliaries, our posts, BFWs for all the ways of MHA. What a beautiful giveaway as they finish acknowledging Charlie Moran senior. Dad, back to you.
They want to say as well is uh you know we had lost here just recently. We wish we could have had a little bit more, but they had just lost their aunt Truby and I think she was laid to rest here about a day or so ago. So, uh, teaching everyone you good people. Thank you very much on behalf of Little family this morning. And, uh, God bless and have a good day here today on Father's Day. A who?
I believe Oakdale they'll sit up.
They're going to render Owen Beaks's personal song here this morning.
Gentlemen, if you would, our family is ready.
This gentleman was a United States Marine and we'll uh get a little something story out of the family here. Uh we're going to ask our singers to render uh their dad's song here this morning.
Gentlemen, if you would please.
Okay, JT What do you guys think?
>> [screaming] >> Okay.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
Thank you singers.
>> [clears throat] >> The family asked me to to announce for them for my brother uh Tom Beaks. Uh he was a Marine and uh his dad was also in the service and he carries his dad's uh name Lean Bull and uh his dad was also um was in two branches, the Navy in the army.
And uh and uh Art Art made that song for Tom's dad.
We want to call on Kevin Finley. Uh he was Tom senior pear.
part of the knife clan. Kevin Finley.
Next person is Darcy Stone, clan uncle, threeclan low cap.
Korean brew sage clan on three clan.
Korean brew sage.
Is there anybody that can pick it up for green?
Legion Post. Young Hawk Bear.
Marvin Driver, Water Buster Clan.
He sang the fairway song for uh Brother Tom. Marvin Driver, Marvin Driver.
Is there anybody can come get the donations for Marvin?
Oakdale singers.
Deladine knife plan.
Arella white knife plan.
Water buster. Sorry.
should know this.
Marvel white.
Visiting veterans. Visiting veterans come and get a gift from the family.
the local veterans. Come get a gift out there.
Don't be shy.
We want to call on the flag bearer, Aaron Abby.
Want to thank him for honoring with calling on his flag to be raised here.
And then the family's going to be feeding back here under them the white tops back here feeding breakfast. So you guys come and eat with the family.
And that's it. That's the best the family can do at this time. And they want to thank you guys.
Sh Creek singers, back to your drum, please.
This is a name that comes from these parts of the new people.
This gentleman here is by the name, his English name is Roger Dale Mouse and he was born on March 13, March 12th, excuse me, 1943 in Dickinson, North Dakota. He was raised by Evan and Gert Jacobs Burr. His biological parents is Lee Omos and Christine Jacobs.
His uh name was Fighting Bear.
Mish and he belonged to the flint knife people.
He attended school in Ela Woods, Mandre Twinbutes and as well as in Oklahoma. He graduated from Holiday High School in 1961.
From there he joined the Air Force and served four years completed two tours in Vietnam and was discharged 1965.
We'll continue on with that. They ask for the Air Force song. Gentlemen, if you would please [crying] God. [groaning] Hallelujah.
He loves [crying] Hallelujah.
Hey, hey, hey.
Hallelujah.
We are It all it Hallelujah.
All the walk I had glory.
Uh, thank you very much singers. Thank you.
Air Force song is always a pretty song.
Now we're sitting here talking about our aches and pains. Yeah, it's crazy when you get a little older.
Never thought about this. I always wish good things for people that to grow old, but we never say grow old grace gracefully with no pains and aches.
Yeah, we don't say that. So, I learned my lesson. The gentleman who was married to Verna Tffy uh Glennmore and uh you got to say this right. Busby.
Busby. If you don't say that right, you're gonna get in trouble. Yeah. Busby over in Montana and he spent his remaining years over there in lame deer res lame deere Montana on the northern Cheyenne reservation.
He was a member of the Northern Cheyenne Morning Star Chapter Vietnam era Veterans Organization. There he served as commander several times at the American Legion Post 77 at Lameir, Montana. He was embraced as a son to Charles and Annie Brady in 1996.
After four years of orientation, Roger was sworn in as the third headsman of the Crazy Dog Society of the Northern Cheyenne Traditional Military Society.
There too, his Indian name was Fighting Bear. And I'm not I can't say it in Cheyenne. So, uh I don't want to attempt it and mess it up for them.
Nakamez.
Nakami is his name. My first Cheyenne words right there. Thank you. Uh Roger was deeply commended as a northern Cheyenne traditional and ceremonial ways and he lived that way. He lived that way. Practiced his Indian ways that way uh the rest of his days. Uh Roger was also a visionary man, a businessmind orientated and had strong beliefs in the values of education. He devoted his life to helping others. At the time of his passing in February 17, 2010, he brought him home to Twin Bees, North Dakota. and there he had uh uh since retired after 25 years of service working at the Cole Strip School District where he was a homeschool coordinator.
One of Roger's final wishes was to be buried right here in Twinbs in his homelands and his final resting places over at the Burr family cemetery.
The children and family of Roger Dale Oldmouse wish to express their defic sincere and appreciation to the committee for embracing, honoring and paying tribute to this man and his service as his flag is flown over our encampment.
These are his homelands and we did not forget that. So we acknowledge this and we say thank you to his families here in North Dakota.
At this time they want to start their gift giving and they want to go through the flintite people. So they're asking for a shawi and I believe we have one sitting over here. Haley was a very nice honoring they did for her last night as well.
We also have some young clanfathers here that are sitting amongst us. One of them can come on over this way.
I beat you to it, but I can't get up fast enough.
Oh, Haley gets her own wagon.
Yeah, I get a full errand around on Father's Day.
That's nice. I hadn't seen it that way done before. That's really nice. Also, Aaron Abby, our flag bearer, a young man for acknowledging him this way and bringing his flag over here be flowing over the encampment.
Appreciate that.
At this time, do you want to acknowledge the posts?
We'll call them over here in a couple here.
At this time, they'd like to have the BFW Post 9061.
As we said, this man was a a man of the Vietnam era. He served two tours there.
They'd like to have the VFW Post 9061 come forward first.
You'd also have like to have the Myan B.
Johnson, Nathan Good and Post 271 please come forward.
I'll select to have the Young Hawk Barefoot 253 come forward.
At this time, they'd like to call on the auxiliaries. The auxiliaries of the 9061.
Auxiliaries of 271.
Auxiliaries for 271. one.
Uh, auxiliaries from 253.
Also auxiliaries from unit 300.
Twinbute Celebration Committee.
Twinb Celebration Committee.
Uh Justin was here. He had to leave.
Aaron can pick that up.
Oh, here you go. Here's another one.
Dylan also mas to the singers.
Shout Creek Singers.
Appreciate you gentlemen.
And we noticed that there was an Air Force veteran here. They'd like to have Glenn Brunzelle. Please come forward.
Glenn Bronzel. Oh, Okay, thank you. Yeah, appreciate it.
Anytime.
Friends and relatives on behalf of the family. I don't know if this Roger remembers, but I was sitting with DJ a few times when he came over to the building over at the uh over at the cultural center and uh we got a chance to visit him and I know this guy from uh all the dancing years that he's been around, Champion Dancer. You know, this family is very very uh much a part of us and it's good to see them all home here this way. you know, even though they they claim uh uh Busby as home, they also have a home right here in Twin Butes. So, it's good to see our family members or relatives this way. Uh not only are they related to the Burrs over this way, Standish is too, I think, is another family member of theirs. And uh so, you you know, you get a chance to visit these guys. You get a chance to visit them. Um, it might have some more little links off of the standishes too as well. So, we appreciate all of you guys. Enjoy your day. We're going to sit back and watch his flag being flown.
Remember the good times, the good times that he was here amongst us and all the teachings. Thank you very much.
Also, they're feeding as well. You know, even though, you know, we didn't have a whole bunch of materials, we wanted to feed breakfast as well. So, everybody's heading back. I know they started back there already with some of the veterans and we'll take care of our singers as well. Get them back over there to eat and everybody else. So, appreciate all of you. Uh, as soon as our veterans or singers, auxiliaries go through back there, I'm pretty sure they'll open it up to the encampment. There's like three, four families back there feeding here this morning.
Also, they uh changed it up in the gift giving. Uh, the young girl that had special last night. Didn't have a chance to do their giveaway. The kids got in uh got circled up right away. So, they're going to have their gift giving here this morning at noon and then the president on the schedule was supposed to go at noon. So, he's going to go after grand entry. Uh and that is Justin Fox.
an anti-illegal immigration protest.
Let's hear what he had to say.
protecting the land from the invaders.
Hey, hey, hey.
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