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One of the Greatest Gifts a Father can give his Son or Daughter is Time spent together.

Wilderness Journal

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Happy Memorial Day! From the Parade to Joining a PRISIP Tribe

This is an older post, but a good one for Moms and Dads who have seen the Indian Princesses and Indian Scouts in the Memorial Day Parade to check out! We welcome you and invite you to take a look!

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Greetings, and happy Memorial Day! It’s a wonderful day, not only because of the long-weekend or the excitement of the parade here in Park Ridge, but because it’s a day for looking back in remembrance, but also looking ahead and considering a course of action for the future.

If you saw the Park Ridge Indian Scouts and Indian Princesses in the Parade on Monday and are wondering about what your future with our organization looks like, I’d like to share a few observations with you.

Nation Chief Dave and his daughter enjoy the Memorial Day Parade in May 2013.
Nation Chief Dave and his daughter enjoy the Memorial Day Parade in May 2013.

First of all, there have been so many thoughtful, helpful words shared through the years concerning the PRISIP organization – in particular the Indian Princesses, who are truly the heart and soul of the broader organization in my view – and you’ll want to read them all. Reflections from dads and daughters who have been in our organization a long time. Thoughts on the Native American symbolism. Expectations around the annual schedule commitments. Take a look by reading this article from May 2012.

Daughters of the outgoing and incoming Iroquois Nation's Nation Chiefs welcome you!
Daughters of the outgoing and incoming Iroquois Nation’s Nation Chiefs welcome you!

PRISIP is divided into 5 “Nations” (three girls’ nations and two boys’ nations). Far and away the very best Girls’ Nation is the mighty Iroquois (I’m somewhat biased as the outgoing “Nation Chief” for the Iroquois) and if you and your daughter are looking to join a tribe, this is the Nation to find your right fit. We’ve got guys from all walks of life and girls from all local schools. If you’re looking for a girls tribe to join, consider our Crow, Comanche, Nez Perce, Navajo, Seminole and Sauk tribes – you’ll be glad you did!

The Iroquois are also the most socially active of all the Nations – going far beyond the annual “required events” to enjoy a year full of campouts and activities. In 2012, our Iroquois founded the annual Together Forever 5K which just completed it’s second strong year earlier this May. This past winter, Navajo girls worked to enhance the annual PRISIP tree sale by creating holiday ornaments.

Navajo girls used monthly craft night to create ornaments to share at the annual PRISIP Tree Sale.
Navajo girls used monthly craft night to create ornaments to share at the annual PRISIP Tree Sale.

You and your girl (or your husband and daughter – Hi Moms!) will find a wealth of meaningful activities and a lifetime of memories in our Iroquois Nation. To get stared, just download the registration forms and have them ready for the fall to bring to our annual Registration Night. (Keep an eye on this site for more details.) Or send us a note using the contact form found on this very site!

We hope you had a good time at the Memorial Day parade and that you enjoyed seeing our PRISIP dads and daughters, and the fathers and sons, in action. That’s what it’s all about – making memories and having fun!

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Interested in Joining PRISIP?

Welcome PatchHi there and welcome! If you’ve found your way here after seeing our tribes in the Park Ridge Memorial Day Parade, saw how much fun we had and are ready to join us, let’s get you started:

Maybe you’re not ready to sign up just yet and want to read a little bit more about how Indian Scouts or Indian Princesses works, and what sort of experiences you and your child would have together. Fortunately, there’s plenty of recent posts on the Iroquois page that nicely illustrate many of these experiences that are common in our organization and reveal some personal points-of-view from past- and current members, including:
We hope what you’ll find on those pages is all the additional information and inspiration you’ll need to take the next step and join the Iroquois Indian Princess Nation in August of 2013 for what promises to be our most exciting year ever. It’s a low time-commitment, high-impact way of making a lifetime of memories with your daughter, and we know you’ll be glad you joined.

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A Significant Part of Their Lives

Jay Pinkerton is both the past and future Tribal Chief of the Iroquois’ Comanche Tribe. Now in his eighth year with our Nation, the Iroquois have gotten significant mileage over the years out of this photo (above) of Jay and his daughter Abby, which remains an elegant expression of what Indian Princesses and the Iroquois are all about – a father and daughter, happy together. It’s that simple. In the coming year, the Iroquois are actively working to help grow the Comanche, and new recruits and interested families are invited to join Jay and his daughters in their tribe for the adventure of a lifetime. Here Jay shares some of his experiences with his daughters in the Comanche:

My youngest daughter, Abby, was asked by a friend of hers recently “What does your Dad look like?” Abby decided to bring a picture to school with her from the Daddy/Daughter dance sponsored by the Iroquois Nation of the Park Ridge Indian Princesses. I realized at that point that the Indian Princess group really does help define who you are and what type of relationship you have with your daughter.

Abby went on to talk with her friend about how fun the camp outs are – the plate hunts, games, haunted houses, sledding hills, ziplines, rock climbing walls and on and on. The girls also look forward to the other Indian Princess events throughout the year, including working on crafts together during our monthly meetings, Halloween window painting and the tree sales (actually, the hide and seek and chase around the tree lanes at the tree sale). When I think back on my time with this group, I see traditions built around friendship and activity. We have taken advantage of our December meeting over the past 4 years to go caroling around our neighborhood. It’s amazing to see how a wild and crazy group of girls can get so organized and perform so well on a moment’s notice as soon as a door is opened!

I first joined Indian Princesses with my oldest daughter, Taylor, almost 8 years ago. My wife is involved with our daughters through such things as Girl Scouts, serving as a room parent at school and being primarily responsible for taking them to and from school, sports practices and so on.

I wanted to be a significant part of their lives as well. I feel like Indian Princesses has given me an opportunity to do so. Who does Abby ask for when she gets hurt or isn’t feeling well? Her Dad. — Jay

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The Greatest Gift

Ed Latko should be the “poster boy” for “too busy for Indian Princesses” – between his work schedule and his five children and their schedules, “taking on one more thing” sounds like the sort of thing Ed shouldn’t have done. But each month, Ed not only finds time to share in the Iroquois’ Sauk tribe with his daughter (where he has been tribal chief and continues to be actively involved in the Nation), but also attends a whole other set of of  meetings with his sons! Why? Well, because – as he explains here in the following post– it’s more than time well spent, it’s a gift and a joy:

Attending the Park Ridge Daddy/Daughter dance with my then-preschool daughter has proved to be one the luckiest thing that has happened to us. There, we met a group of dads and daughters who were attending the dance together as an outing of their tribe from Indian Princesses. They invited us to join their tribe. Being new to Park Ridge and not knowing anything about Indian Princesses, I was hesitant.  Nonetheless, with the insistence of my wife, we joined – and are overjoyed that we did.

This organization has given my daughter and I a vehicle to spend quality time together. As a father, it has allowed me to watch my daughter interact with other girls from other schools and areas that she never would have met otherwise. It has allowed me to watch her grow and gain confidence in her public speaking abilities by reciting the Seven Aims, being in charge of a meeting, or telling the group of the good deeds she has done since our last meeting. It has allowed me to see her understand and embrace helping others through the many charitable ventures the organization and our tribe undertake.

It has also allowed me to meet and spend time with other fathers.  I’m pleased to say that these friendships made will outlast our time in Indian Princesses.

All told, the greatest gift a father can give his daughter is his time.  To put all aside and spend time together attending monthly meetings, monthly activities, and campouts has been an experience of a lifetime that my daughter and I have been blessed to share together. — Ed Latko

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A Lifetime of Memories

Iroquois Nation Chief Bob Szkwarek had the unenviable task of following two thoughtful Nation Chiefs that each left a powerful legacy for the Iroquois. However, in his two inspiring years in the role, Bob “the Big Bear” aka “Bobski” has done more than simply transform the Iroquois – he’s literally transformed the landscape of our community, leading the challenging yet ultimately rewarding effort to build the Iroquois Firepit at the Wildwood Nature Center. Along the way, he’s continued to transform the lives of Dads and Daughters in the Iroquois, delivering powerful programming, meaningful meetings and celebratory campouts, all of which ladder up to creating probably the thing that Bob’s most proud of – valuable memories to be shared through all the years ahead. As he retires from the Nation Chief role at the Iroquois Spring Campout in June, Bob shares here his thoughts on a lifetime spent with the Indian Scouts and Indian Princesses:

As a kid who grew up here in Park Ridge, I have many fond memories of the Indian Guides – – the campouts, the meetings, and all the activities.  But more importantly were the times I got to spend with my dad.  At the time, I don’t even think I realized the strong bond I was forming with him.  But as the years went on, it became clear.  These were moments we would be able to share and relive forever.  So today, as my wife and I raise our own family in Park Ridge, you can imagine how thrilled I was when my daughter decided to join Indian Princesses.  I knew this would be the start of an incredible journey together.

It was such an honor to be the Chief of Mighty Seminole.  And then, to be given the opportunity and the privilege to be the Iroquois Nation Chief was simply awesome.  I felt like I was now able to give something back to an organization that has meant so much to me through the years.  I decided to continue the mantra set by former Nation Chief John Dempsey – “It’s all about the girls.”  But I wanted to take that a little further. I made it my goal to create memorable experiences for both the dad and daughter, because I feel that out of these experiences, great memories are born.

But one person can only do so much. What was truly amazing and inspiring was the willingness and dedication of all the Iroquois dads and daughters. I had a great team of dads that helped me tremendously each year to continue on our journey. I made many friends, and know that we will continue on as friends for many years to come.  As Nation Chief, I have a lot of great memories. I loved going to the Longhouse Meetings and seeing the hand-made invitations the girls produce, seeing their monthly crafts, and hearing about their monthly outings.

I think what I will cherish the most as Nation Chief is being able to stand at the fire ceremonies and see each and every Iroquois Princess – see their smiling faces, see them hug their dads, hear them recite the 7 Aims – all while having my own daughter right at my side, arm in arm. Truly incredible. Thank you Iroquois Nation.

Together Forever as Father and Daughter. — Bob and Maddie Szkwarek

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Two of My Favorite Photos

As we’ve been working these past few days to share memories and thoughts about our time in the Iroquois, we’ve had the opportunity to review years and years of photos from meetings and campouts past. We spend a lot of time emphasizing the Father and Daughter connectedness that the Iroquois Indian Princess program enables – and it’s absolutely true, just read some of these bracketing posts! – but there’s something fun about the following two photos that also reveal one of the unique aspects of our program. Interestingly enough, they both come from the same campout in the fall of 2010. Let’s take a look:

Navajo Girls, primarily first graders in the fall of 2010, express their

Spooky Halloween! Over the last few years, one of the evolving traditions of the Iroquois Fall Campout has been the “Haunted House Competition” the girls of all six tribes have developed, almost entirely on their own. What started as a sprited seasonal expression of our Navajo and Seminole tribes has become something all the girls enjoy, and it is neither “haunted” and “spooky” or even that much of a “competition.” It is, however, an expression of some of the individual exploration and fun the girls get to have “on their own” on the campouts. Although “time with Dad” remains a constant focus of our outings, the opportunity to “run free” and explore their horizons with confidence and in complete safety is part of the fun of the Iroquois campouts. It lets the “girls be girls,” it lets them “have the best sleepover ever!” and just enjoy making friendships that last a lifetime.

Navajo Dads prepare a

At the campouts, Dads and Daughters spend nearly all day together – from lunch, to games, dinner and evening entertainment, and finally the always moving and meaningful evening fire ceremony. But after the campfire, as the girls go to play, the Dads set about the thoughtful business of the “evening meal,” an annual tradition and rite of passage for all members of the Iroquois Nation. Each tribe has their own “Tribal Chef,” a most celebrated and respected individual, working tirelessly to deliver the best in grilled meats and unexpected camping cuisine. It’s during this “Dad’s time” ( as seen in the photo above ) that the Daughters, who tend to drift through our orbits like little comets of fun throughout the evening, get a chance to see their Dads in a whole new light. For some, it’s the first time that they ever see their dad prepare a meal. For others, it’s a quick and quiet glimpse into a world of understanding their fathers in a deeper and richer way than ever before. It’s a special time, and it’s part of what makes the campouts such a unique experience.