Harris rides proud in the saddle

Sep 7

Happy Canyon Princess Katie Harris is a horsewoman, and it doesnt take long for a conversation with her to come around to her beloved horse, Ollocut, who was named after the Nez Perce chief and brother of Chief Joseph. The daughter of Stuart and Deborah Harris of Pendleton, Katie has ridden for most of her life and considers her horse a vital partner in her reign. Stories of the parades in which shes appeared always end up including Ollocut. Take, for example, her appearance in the Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade.

My horse was being a brat the first 10 minutes, she smiled. Of course hes only 5 and he did settle down. In Portland it was fun talking to the people. I think I even got proposed to once. Being a brat didnt last long. Ollocut, she said, seemed to know the parade judges were important. He was sucking up to the judges, she laughed. He was schmoozing them and trying to get them to pet him. Harris said she has enjoyed every parade, especially Chief Joseph Days. A registered member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, she is also of Nez Perce descent. Her mother, as a matter of fact, was a princess for Chief Joseph Days at the same time Julie Williams, the mother of Round-Up Queen Cheyenne Williams, served as queen of the Pendleton event. Harris wanted to be a Happy Canyon princess when she was little. Then I kind of didnt think about it for a while, she said. In high school I was busy jingle dancing and doing beadwork, so it kind of slipped my mind. Then, I graduated and I wanted to be a princess again.

Her Indian name is Kahp Kahp Tsonmi, which means the sound of the wind that blows through the cottonwoods. She has portrayed many roles in the Happy Canyon Night Show and is also a Round-Up volunteer. This year her royal duties will mean shell not work in those familiar roles, although she and her fellow princess, Alex Nilo, plan to dance at the tribal dancing event on the last day of the rodeo. Shes enjoyed traveling with her fellow princess this year, in spite of a distinct difference between them. Shes a Duck and Im a Beaver, but we still get along really well, she said with a smile. We work good as a team. Harris has two sets of regalia, one loaned to her by her cousin Crystal Pond and the other that belongs to her grandmother Jeannie Wilkinson. The latter is 100 years old and came to the family in an old-style trade with Eliza Bell. Harris is excited about representing Happy Canyon and cant wait for it to begin. Im looking forward to all of it, she said. Especially the Westward Ho! Parade and the PBR. The royalty will enjoy great seats at the U.S. Bank/Pendleton PBR Classic Monday and Tuesday, and they will ride in the historic parade that bans any motorized vehicles on Friday. Shortly after the exciting week ends, Harris will enter her second year as a student at Blue Mountain Community College. She will then transfer to a four-year school to study computer science. And, when she looks back on her season as a princess, it will be with gratitude to many people. Without my parents, the Pond family, my sisters Anna and Mary, Kari Kordatsky, Nancy Minthorn, Toni Minthorn, our chaperones, my horse trainer Rick Rose, my aunt Leona Pond, Alex Nilo, and so many others, I couldnt have done this, she said. Im afraid of leaving someone out, so I need to just say thank you to everyone who has helped me through the year. Harris has been beading since she was 10 and said she will continue that art as well as jingle dancing. Shes got plenty of energy to spread among her hobbies and schooling. I always wake up really early, she said. I wake up 15 minutes before I have to. No matter how early it is, I can do it. I have good discipline. She also had words of encouragement for young girls with royal dreams. Go for it, she said. Start working on the beadwork now though, so youre not rushed.

Katie Harris

Harris rides proud in the saddle

Harris takes Indian Beauty Contest