Charles Austin just finished his 40th year volunteering for the Y Guides program this spring at Camp Sea Gull and Seafarer. Standing Horse, as Austin is more commonly known, has been the Nation Storyteller for the Arapahoe Nation since 1973. Every Spring Outing weekend Standing Horse drives to Camp and tells one of his many rotating stories to a hushed crowd of Dads and their kids at the campfire. His voice quiets the crowd with its haunting and eerie low tone and he tells his stories in the dark, silhouetted by the outline of the campfire behind him. Many never know what he truly looks like. The stories are always on the border of scary, funny, and somehow always portray the Dads as tired, unshaven, and in need of a proper shower. Dads often seek out Standing Horse after the campfire to reminisce with him about the time he told them stories when they were kids in Y Guides. That is what happens when you give yourself to a program for 40 years.
On May 18th Standing Horse was awarded the Eagle Feather Award by Y Guides Director, Andrew Crook. This award is the highest honor a person can receive in the Arapahoe Nation and is in recognition of Standing Horse’s outstanding dedication and service to Y Guides. 40 years is a long time to be silhouetted, and for the first time at Spring Outing, Standing Horse stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight to receive the award.