On the wings of eagles
Eagles combine with Comanche culture at Sia in Cyril
BY SCOTT RAINS STAFF WRITER SRAINS@LAWTON-CONSTITUTION.COM
CYRIL — Constructed through a symbiotic relationship with his “right hand,” Troy, Voelker’s dream of preserving the great birds, Comanche traditions and their combined culture has nested in Comanche country. Voelker’s last four decades have been spent living and working with flighted raptors — eagles, hawks and vultures. He’s spent his entire life under their shadow. That is where he’s found guidance, purpose, protection and preservation in the feather-soft down revered by his forebears. With the establishment of Sia: The Comanche Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative’s headquarters on original Comanche trust land, a long journey has fulfilled its course. In Cyril, Sia is the word for a wondrous world filled with birds of prey and the Comanche way. Above its entry threshold, a large eagle’s nest the size of a compact car is under construction. Voelker said the nest is modeled on one he’s visited over the last four decades of performing North American eagle surveys — another 3½-feet larger and it’ll be the right size. It’s timber materials are from the valley below the original model nest. Voelker and Troy designed and constructed the headquarters to be many things at once — a historic repository, native botanical garden, research facility and home to dozens of raptors — yet is always beautiful; its aesthetic complements its focal point, the raptors. Every component has some sort of significant cultural importance related through its design and integrity of materials. “It was a solid four years of work in getting this all together,” Voelker said.”Probably a lifetime of planning.” In four decades, the two have worked with chiefs and chairmen, presidents and kings, scientists and shamans — all in an effort to understand, appreciate and preserve the birds considered sacred to almost every native culture worldwide. Sia’s story begins with Voelker’s roots. His mother, Evelyne, was director of the American Indian Center in St. Louis, Mo., for many years and was a major proponent of the initial Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act legislation. His father, Robert, worked with eagles and other raptors long before the son was born. The elder Voelker amassed the largest private bird of prey plumage collection ever to be assembled, Voelker said. That collection has served as the basis of much of the initiative’s work and is federally inventoried. “Much of our scientific analysis, such as DNA profiling and isotope geographic identification comes from use of this collection,” Voelker said. Another looming influence on Sia is the legacy of Voelker’s grandmother, Mary Wahkinney. Located at 106 Lookingglass Way, the headquarters is one lot away from the home of the Comanche woman who taught the two men the old ways. Her influence is reflected in both men and their work: The institute’s treasure trove of relics includes a picture of Grandmother Wahkinney, who made sure her grandson knew the legacy of the Lookingglass allotment. When tribal allotment lands were tendered around the turn of the last century, Chief Lookingglass’ family allotment was in southern Caddo County. When Bayard Lookingglass’ daughter, Cyril, died, he sold her allotment of land to what would become the Town of Cyril; it’s the only town established on a Comanche allotment, Voelker said. Sia, like Voelker’s grandmother, is Comanche to the core. Each year’s eagle survey follows the migration path of the birds, a trail walked by Comanche feet for centuries. Voelker’s seen familiar markings on cliff walls behind some nests that date back to the time when Comanche people left the mountains of the Northwest on the legs of Spanish horses. When you enter Sia’s building, a Numunuh welcome painted on the wall greets you. Translated, it reads: “Everybody’s welcome to come see our ways, especially the ways of the medicine bird. Through the eagle, we are asking blessings for all who enter,” Voelker said. Inside the enclosures The enclosures house a range of North and South American and African raptors. It’s startling the first time you look through an opening in one of the enclosures to see one of these epic raptors looking back. You can’t escape the gaze of the European eagle owl — it transfixes you until slowly you see another identical bird staring from behind the first. Suddenly, you notice a third owl and its identical stare. Voelker said the owl has received a bad rap over the centuries that has caused fearful superstitions. “The taboo began with the arrival of the Christian missionaries. The devil was depicted with horns,” Voelker said as he pointed to the owl’s distinctive, pointed ears. “In the old days, a Comanche wasn’t afraid of anything.” Comanches have always been drawn to the eagle, Voelker said. The golden eagle enclosure houses a 27-year-old beauty named Tabe Queni. She spreads her 7¾-feet wingspan as she sits atop a computerized egg. Voelker said the egg she had laid wasn’t fertile so it was replaced with the computer to record data. The birds eat a rich diet of their natural prey — quail, fish, guinea pigs, for example — raised specifically to feed the raptors. Under the natural cover roof of the bald eagle enclosure, three birds are adapting to new surroundings in a new setting. One bird is a large female who has suffered retinal damage; the other two birds have suffered wing injuries and are unable to fly. These animals would be lost quickly in the wild, Voelker said. The bald eagles skirt about and ruffle their feathers; one hops to a perch as another approaches the large, bubble window that allows visitors a view. A small bird in the enclosure at first is thought to be a young eaglet. Voelker said it is actually a kukubura and shares the enclosure with the eagles to help them adapt to the sounds of a community environment. “It makes such a bizarre sound that it helps acclimate the eagles and settles them down in a city environment,” Voelker said. The peace found in the presence of the birds is important to tribal members; often visitors just want to sit down and watch them, Voelker said. “This is a good holistic place for birds and people,” Voelker said.
STEVE MILLER/STAFF A colorful king vulture from South America begs for attention with his intense stare. Bill Voelker said the vulture is important to the environment, serving as a natural cleanup crew in the continent’s rain forests.
STEVE MILLER/STAFF Tabe Queni, a golden eagle, preens and profiles from her perch. Her wingspan is just under eight feet.
STEVE MILLER/STAFF Sheva, a Peruvian hawk eagle, offers her exotic gaze for a portrait.
