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Snap eleven year slump without a title
Maybe it was the hot weather. Or the tribal strategy. Perhaps the Indian Games officials, feeling sorry for them, simply loaded them with brains and brawn this year.
And maybe, the Tuscarora were just more hungry then the other five tribes. “I want it pretty badly,” said Pok-O senior and sixth-year Tuscarora Geoffrey Livsey back at the beginning of the summer. Livsey- Chief in 2004 and assistant to Lex Artuso this year- had certainly bucked the odds. Now, he can celebrate.
 The Tuscarora are the 2005 Indian Games Champion, the announcement coming at last night’s final council fire.The tribe in blue finished well ahead of the 2004 champion Cayuga, with the Seneca third, followed by the Mohawk and the Onondaga (see final results).
While the results were not certified until late Wednesday- Three competitions were held and two tribal projects were scored yesterday- The “Tuskies” enjoyed a solid summer of events, winning (or sharing in the title) of four contests, while never placing lower than third heading into the final day. “To lose, they would really need a big late collapse,” said a source close to Indian Games, speaking under the condition of anonymity late Tuesday.
The final day of Indian Days featured wins by the Seneca in The Great Indian Relay Race and Tribal Tasks, while the Mohawk won the five-sided flour hawk game, Capture the Chief’s Bonnet. But the Tuscarora stayed close, taking a second and two thirds, and had their fate sealed when their tribal journal was voted the best among the five tribes. The best tribal project, as viewed by the judges, was the nation flag of the Onondaga (see PHOTO GALLERY).
For the announcement of the winning tribe, the Chiefs and Sachems were brought to the front of the fire circle, facing the White People. Tribe by tribe they were excused, until only the winning tribal leaders remained: Lex Artuso and Sachem Meredith Carroll of the Tuscarora.
Then there was mass celebration.
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