Kiowa Tribe celebrates Methodist leader’s 100th birthday Sept. 13, 2004 By David Wilson* APACHE, Okla. (UMNS) - Carrie Sahmaunt has been a faithful Methodist since the day she was born - more than 36,500 days ago and counting. "I pray a lot for everything, and I have lived a good Christian life and tried to be a good person," she says. "Only God knows when the last days will come, and I don’t know why he gave me so many." Family and friends from across the country and the state of Oklahoma gathered recently to celebrate the 100th birthday of Sahmaunt, a full-blood member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and a women’s leader in the United Methodist Church. "Mother has been a Methodist since the day she was born," says her daughter, Sara Wildcat. It was Carrie’s family, the Quoetones, and her husband’s family, the Sahmaunts, who hauled big stones from the nearby mountain to build the Mt. Scott Kiowa Methodist church in 1895, which is often referred to as the mother church of the Kiowas. Her parents and her husband’s parents were charter members of the church. Today the church is an official United Methodist historical site. More than 400 people from several tribes and groups attended the Aug. 21 celebration planned by her children. Sahmaunt received a birthday card from President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, as well as a proclamation from the Oklahoma governor, Brad Henry, in her honor. Several organizations also honored her, including the local and regional chapters of United Methodist Women, the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma and the Kiowa Chapter of War Mothers. "The highlight of her day was seeing so many of her friends in one place," Wildcat says. "It was a good day for her, and she was very pleased." Sahmaunt, whose Kiowa name is Tsat-Mah, which means "Door Woman," was born Aug. 20, 1904, in Carnegie, Okla., during a Sun Dance being held north of town. It was when she was forced by the U.S. government to attend the Rainy Mountain Boarding School with other Kiowa children that she received her English name, "Carrie." All Native American children were given English names and would be punished if they were caught speaking their language. Despite that, Sahmaunt is among a few Kiowas who still speak their language. Sahmaunt is the oldest living Kiowa and is one of three Kiowas still living who received a 160-acre land allotment from the federal government almost 100 years ago. She married Joel Sahmaunt on July 13, 1922, in an arranged marriage. Together, they raised 10 children, in addition to a nephew. She has 28 grandchildren, 44 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren. "I am very proud of my family," she says. "I raised them to be good people and to be kind to others." She is a strong believer in education, and she made sure that all of her children furthered their education beyond high school. In 1976, she was named the "Merit Mother of the Year" for the state of Oklahoma, and in 1988, the Oklahoma Council for Indian Education named her "Indian Education Parent of the Year." She was the first president of the former West District Women’s Society of Christian Service in the former Indian Mission. Her father taught Sunday school for 55 years at the Mt. Scott Kiowa Church. Sahmaunt has always been a strong advocate for United Methodist Women and a role model for many women, says Sandra Quoetone, Mt. Scott Kiowa United Methodist Women president. "She has always been very faithful to the church and the work of women, and she encourages us all to keep it up," Quoetone says. In the ’40s and ’50s, Sahmaunt and the women’s group made their money by sewing and selling quilts, Quoetone says. They used the money to pay their pledges and do work for the organization. The United Methodist Women of Mt. Scott Kiowa meet monthly at Sahmaunt’s house so that she can hear and be a part of the group. "She is still our inspiration, and she still makes a pledge to mission and she is very faithful in paying her pledge," Quoetone says. In fact, Sahmaunt received many gifts for her birthday, and from those gifts she gave $150 to the church, Quoetone said. "She continues to be supportive and faithful to the church," she says. *Wilson is superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference. News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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