[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Page 22009]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



              WELCOMING ELDER FRANCIS CREE OF NORTH DAKOTA

  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I am pleased this morning to welcome a 
good friend and distinguished North Dakotan, Francis Cree, to the 
Senate. I thank him for his moving and inspirational prayer.
  Francis Cree is the Spiritual Leader and Tribal Elder of the Turtle 
Mountain Band of Chippewa of North Dakota. He is the official Pipe 
Carrier for the Tribe, a position of honor and leadership. He led the 
tribe as chairman in the 1950s and served several terms on the Tribal 
Council.
  Francis spends countless hours teaching young tribal members about 
Chippewa culture and traditions. Last year, he even made an award-
winning CD called, ``The Elders Speak.''
  Francis is married to Rose Cree, a well-known artist who makes 
beautiful willow and birchbark baskets, several of which are displayed 
in my office. They were recently featured at the Smithsonian's Festival 
of American Folk Life on the Mall here in our Nation's Capital.
  Francis and Rose have 14 children, and, according to Rose, ``too many 
grandchildren and great-grandchildren to count, but there are well over 
a hundred.'' In May, Rose and Francis will celebrate 63 years of 
marriage.
  Congratulations to you both.
  I am very pleased to welcome Francis Cree to the Senate this morning. 
I thank him for being here and for sharing his inspiring message with 
us.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Nevada.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, before my friend from North Dakota leaves 
the Chamber, and before Spiritual Leader and Tribal Elder Cree leaves 
the Chamber, I say, I never had the opportunity in the Senate Chamber 
to say this to anyone who would understand it, but the Senator from 
North Dakota and the tribal leader will: I am a Pipe Carrier for the 
Pyramid Paiute Tribe in northern Nevada. I have been through the 
ceremony. It was very dignified and impressive. It was a ceremony I 
will never forget.
  So I am very happy we have had this very time-honored tradition now 
done in opening the Senate in prayer. I congratulate the Senator from 
North Dakota in bringing one of the most-renowned citizens of his State 
to the U.S. Capitol.
  Mr. CONRAD. I thank my colleague from Nevada.
  My colleague, Senator Dorgan, is chairing a hearing in another part 
of the Capitol complex and will come to the Chamber later today to also 
memorialize this occasion. I do not want this moment to pass without 
indicating Senator Dorgan was here earlier but had to leave to chair a 
meeting of his subcommittee elsewhere in the Capitol complex or else he 
would be here as well.
  I thank the Chair.

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