Wichita ? A simple party wouldn’t have been enough to celebrate Lena Squirrel’s 90th birthday, her friends and admirers say, so they’re holding a citywide powwow Saturday night at Wichita’s Mid-America All-Indian Center.

Free and open to the public, the event will honor a respected elder who has been an anchor of the city’s Indian community for more than 50 years.

Squirrel, who is from the Pawnee tribe of Oklahoma, isn’t quite sure what to make of the fuss.

“That kind of thing is awesome to me,” said Squirrel, who was born Jan. 16, 1917. “I’m just an old lady.”

Squirrel grew up in Oklahoma, fearlessly riding horses through the countryside, said her daughter, Deanie Eaton.

She moved to Wichita in the 1940s and, with her late husband, Rufus, kept Indian newcomers to the area connected and informed, friends said. She gave money and advice to people in need and stayed involved with the city’s Indian community.

Eugene Stumblingbear, a Kiowa who will emcee the powwow, said Squirrel’s cheerful nature and generous spirit helped shape the community.

“Out of the core families that were here, she’s about the only one still left,” Stumblingbear said.

She reminds him of the old ways, he said, when his parents were still living and the Mid-America All-Indian Center didn’t exist. In those days, the community banded together through celebrations and powwows, he said.

Norma Haze-Powell, of the Wichita Caddo tribe, considers Squirrel a second mother. And Francis Sweetwater, a Cheyenne, admires Squirrel’s commitment to tradition.

“To me, the grandest thing there is is for her children, grandchildren and greats to put this dance on for her while she’s here,” Sweetwater said.

Eaton said her mother demonstrates family pride in the lessons she shares. Among them, Eaton said: “To look for the good in people, and your actions don’t reflect just on yourself, they reflect on your ancestors, parents and relatives.”