Omaha Nation Pair Plays with a Song in Their Hearts

 

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By Tim Gallagher, Journal staff writer

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Oliver Saunsoci plays snare drum while the Omaha Nation Band performs "The Star-Spangled Banner" before Friday's football game in Macy. (Photo by Tim Gallagher)

 

 

MACY, Neb. -- Fans label gridiron stars "two-way players" if they line up on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball.

Oliver Saunsoci on Friday became a "four-way player" when he played offense, defense and performed TWO national anthems.

That's the kind of surprise you get when taking in a game on the Omaha Indian Reservation in Macy.


After starting lineups were announced Friday, Saunsoci walked over to the tiny Omaha Nation Band and picked up the drum sticks. He played snare for "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Then he joined cousin Justin Saunsoci in singing the Omaha Flag Song in one of the most wonderful school traditions in Siouxland.

The Omaha Flag Song, written in part by Oliver's great-grandfather Parish Saunsoci in 1912, is the national anthem for the Omaha Indian tribe, whose reservation is based around this Thurston County community of 956 residents. Ninety-nine percent of the 91 students at Omaha Nation High School here are American Indian, and most of them, like the Saunsocis, are Omaha.

So, singing their national song seems natural.

But having two players do it? While that might seem out of the ordinary, it's no hassle for the Saunsocis, a name which means "without worries" in French.

Tribe lands near Macy

No worries. Sadly, that isn't the case for the Omaha people. This eastern woodland tribe, which originated with the Quapaw near the Ohio River before the colonization of the U.S., was caught constantly for centuries between aggressive forces -- white settlers from the east, plains tribes from the west. Through treaties and land cessions, the Omaha ended up with their tribal lands west of the Missouri River, 30 miles south of Sioux City.

Life isn't easy. Unemployment, according to Omaha Nation High School Principal Dave Friedli, is at 70 percent. The median household income is $19,500 with most school-age children living below the poverty level.

"If they don't work for the Tribal Council, they are unemployed," said Friedli, noting the lack of industrial opportunities here.

There is also a mindset to battle, one that doesn't emphasize formal education.

"Nine percent of all Native people nationwide have a college degree," Friedli said. "Less than one percent has a master's degree or doctorate."

Friedli pointed to the Chiefs players on the field as they fell behind Winside, 13-0, in the first quarter. "Some of these students tonight, if they graduate high school, they'll be the first one in their family to," he said.

If they don't, they could follow a directionless path, as many before them have, existing solely on government aid that enables them to survive, not prosper.

Tillie Aldrich and other Chief Booster Club members buck trends. "Our goal behind all the Booster Club stuff is to promote drug- and alcohol-free activities," Aldrich said while handing out free sub sandwiches and Pepsi at the tailgate supper. "Our supper tonight is sponsored by the State Alcohol Prevention Program. Alcoholism is a constant battle on the reservation for young and old. By doing this, we try to attract either the young or the old to come. If we get a youth to show up here, there's a good chance we'll get the adult, too.

"We're always trying to find creative ways of getting our youth involved in things without the presence of alcohol," she added.

Jo Meyer, a 33-year teaching veteran at Omaha Nation, traded high-fives with Justin Saunsoci after he dove for the end zone in a successful two-point conversion with two minutes left in the first half. Saunsoci's effort accounted for two of the Chiefs' eight points in a 59-8 loss that dropped Omaha Nation to 1-6 on the season.

Meyer wouldn't remember the final score days from now. She'll remember Justin's effort and getting a high-five from him after the play.

"Awesome two-point conversion!" she exclaimed. "Justin is one of my skiers. I took him and Oliver (and others) skiing last year and we plan on doing it again. To go, they must have good grades, good attendance and raise their own money to go. Both are very good kids."

Friedli echoed her sentiment. He and football coach Ed Ross could not say enough about the young men on the Chiefs team who make a decision to play football and then stick with it all autumn.

"Our senior class of 26 students is large," Friedli said. "Ten of them are fifth-year seniors as something has happened to them or their family situation somewhere along the line. We never assume when they start kindergarten that they'll make it to graduation seamlessly."

The fifth-year seniors, he added, cannot play sports. The hope, though, is that they'll graduate and either go to college or find a job. A sixth-year senior recently found a job at the nearby casino, a fact Friedli celebrated.

Singers off to college

Senior Justin Saunsoci, a member of the Chief homecoming court, plans to attend Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colo. He'd like to be a teacher.

He probably won't be a singer. Although after hearing Saunsoci and his brother perform the Omaha Flag Song before the kickoff Friday, it's a wonder he's not considering it.

"It's an honor to be asked to sing our song," Saunsoci said. "The song talks of a brother going off to fight in a war for me. The song says that because of what you did for me, I am alive."

"Justin and I sing it because we are not afraid to stand in front of people and sing," said Oliver, the sophomore, who, like his cousin, lists college in his future goals.

"Our visitors always ask about the Omaha Flag Song," Friedli said. "Spalding High School near Columbus, Neb., asked our boys to sing it before a game at their school. They told us that several of their parents and grandparents didn't travel when they came here, so they wanted to see us sing it. It was a real honor for the kids. They felt great about it and played great that night too."

These days, the Omaha Flag Song carries additional weight as recent Omaha Nation High School graduates, like Will Webster, are serving overseas with U.S. military forces. Webster, a 2004 graduate, is in Mosul.

The song fits with the mission statement at Omaha Nation High. While teachers and staff members encourage their students to strengthen their American Indian traditions, they also want them to flourish in other cultures.

The military, for at least four recent graduates, allows that opportunity. Military service, it was pointed out, is also one way some of these students may pay for their college education.

Friedli carried a paper Friday night, one listing his school's current crop of military servicemen and women. He spoke with pride about those veterans. He also rattled off figures showing improvement among student achievement scores. He lauded staff members who make daily sacrifices to see that the children of Omaha Nation get a fighting chance.

Finally, Friedli hailed the efforts of student leaders like the Saunsocis who show their peers every day what it takes to succeed. By attending school. By completing their assignments. By keeping the beat in the band.

And by singing their nation's song.



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