Hello Winter!

Happy Solstice to all... for those of us in the North, these days of darkness are turning the other way. Woo-hoo!

The Youngs hosted a holiday celebration last Friday. It was wonderful to see so many members of the Red Feather family in one place for an incredibly well-hosted event. The Traveler Award goes out to Carol Iwaasa, who made the trek to Bozeman from the wilds of Brooks, Alberta.

The highlight of the night - besdies the company and delicious vittles, of course - had to be the Red Feather staff's adaptation of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger," in honor of Rob.

There's not too much news here at Red Feather. We're preparing the 2006 Annual Report, planning trips and meetings on Hopi and Northern Cheyenne., and getting ready for the rest of this season's holidays.

To all of our friends, we wish you an enjoyable and safe New Year. We look forward to hearing your many stories and telling some of our own.

Ben, Busby, and Bozeman

Red Feather recently added another full-time staff member - Program Associate Ben Yeomans. Ben originally connected with Red Feather as a volunteer on the Roundstone family home in June of this year. There, he impressed Red Feather staff and fellow volunteers with his endearing personality, building prowess, and wonderful lip-synch skills.

The trip would be a fateful one for Ben; not only did it set his trajectory towards Red Feather's operations in Bozeman, but it also crossed paths with a sweet little rez dog that has come to be known as "Busby".

Ben and Busby moved to Bozeman three weeks ago to join us. We welcome the both of you.

Advisory Meeting

On Friday, December 8th, Red Feather hosted its inaugural advisory meeting in Lame Deer on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. The purpose of the meeting was twofold - to engage community leaders in Red Feather's long-term planning and to determine ways to foster an engaged advisory on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation.

We are very encouraged with the results of the meeting. There was an abundance of important dialogue and interest regarding Red Feather's work on Northern Cheyenne. We look forward to the task of reviewing all of the feedback and determining how this information can shape our programming.

To all who attended, Nea'eše.