Craig speaks with Rotarians
The Bella Vista Sunrise Rotary hosted Jay Craig, district governor-elect for Rotary District 6110, during an evening meeting Feb. 11.
Craig spoke about his Comanche heritage, as well as his appreciation for the Rotary Club.
“There’s a lot of white people here,” Craig said as he stepped up to speak in front of the rotary club and its guests.
According to a short biography provided by the club, Craig was born in Tulsa, Okla., and grew up in North Little Rock.
Craig served in the United States Marine Corps as a reconnaissance marine and an air traffic control officer and was awarded the silver star medal, bronze star medal, Vietnamese cross of gallantry and other awards during his 22-year career, after which he was awarded the distinguished service medal, according to the biography.
Craig is also officially recognized as a warrior of the Comanche Nation and performs all over the country, according to the document.
Craig told the audience some of the history of the Comanche nation — consisting of 14,000 Comanche individuals worldwide — including the fact that “Comanche” itself is not a Comanche word. The Comanche language uses the word Numunuu.
The Comanche didn’t have a written language until 1994, he said.
“A lot of our history was lost,” Craig said.
Comanche tribes were historically nomadic and had a strong reputation as a warrior tribe, he explained.
That reputation was wellearned by extremely effective Comanche warriors who could accurately and rapidly fire their bows from horseback, he said.
The fierce image the tribe garnered made a strong deterrent for would-be attackers, he added.
Craig was in full regalia from his tribe during the presentation and he showed a bundle of eagle feathers, which he explained are difficult to acquire, and a buffalo jaw, which he said is a traditional and versatile weapon.
“This is like a tuxedo, I’m really dressed up here,” he said.
The feathers are significant, he said, because the Comanche believe the creator used eagles to bring mankind to Earth.
“We believe that there’s even spiritual power in the feathers,” he said.
The feathers are believed to help heal, and Craig said he takes his to help pray for kids in children’s hospitals.
Acquiring them is no small task, he explained. Hurting an eagle is against the law and the birds live for a long while. When they do pass and someone finds them, he said, the body is frozen and put into a registry, then distributed to people who need them. It’s not uncommon to wait a few years, he said.
Craig said he’s proud to be a Rotarian because the club works to make a positive impact across the world. He was at an international meeting and found a certain amount of inspiration, he said.
“They all dress different and speak different, but they’re all Rotarians and they’re all here for the same reason,” he said.
One attendee, Kelly Dostart, said she has been out of the Rotary Club for a while but this presentation got her interested in signing back up.
“It made me want to come back to Rotary,” she said. “It was great.”