For many tribal members, the Menominee Nation’s annual summer pow-wow is a time to celebrate native American heritage with colorful exhibitions and friendly competition.
For others, it is simply a chance to get back to their roots.
“This is the week that people come home,” pow-wow organizer Myrna Warrington said as thousands of tribal members gathered from as far away as California and Pennsylvania.
The Menominee Nation reservation in Keshena was aglow with tradition and pride throughout a weekendlong celebration that might have generated the event’s biggest crowds ever.
Organizers said a record-high estimated 4,000 people turned out for Friday’s opening events, and robust attendance also was recorded Saturday and Sunday.
Members of many native American tribes joined their Menominee brothers and sisters for the Keshena tribe’s 49th annual contest pow-wow. The gathering is based around a series of song and dance contests that allowed children and adults to compete for cash prizes.
R.J. Smith, a member of the Ojibwe tribe near Hayward, attended for the first time in many years. While he no longer takes the competition quite so seriously, he still sings and dances as a way of enjoying the atmosphere and reconnecting with his cultural identity.
“It was always about sharing songs and dances and food and smiles,” he said.
Dancers adorned in ornate costumes took turns in the Woodland Bowl, an outdoor arena encircled with towering pine trees. Other tribal members gathered in small drum circles around the perimeter to complete an exhibition of authentic native American sights and sounds.
Thousands of nontribal members turned the pow-wow into a spectator event, with some experiencing the native American phenomenon up close for the first time.
Vendors were on hand with tribal food, clothing and other collectibles in a festival-style atmosphere.
Ann Lindstrom, of Appleton, joined family and friends at her first pow-wow, saying she was impressed by the strong commitment that participants showed to preserving and celebrating their tribal heritage.
“It’s great to see the pride that’s here,” she said.
Menominee Tribal Chairman Gary Besaw greeted the crowd over the public-address system Saturday in the Woodland Bowl. Noting the presence of many different tribes and visitors, Besaw said he was happy to “welcome your footprints on our Menominee territory.”
“This a great vision to see,” he added. “We pray our pow-wow will not disappoint you.”
Menominee officials spend the entire year planning the contest pow-wow. With 4,000 tribal members on the reservation and another 5,000 living elsewhere, officials already are thinking about a special effort next summer to mark the event’s 50th anniversary.
Warrington, who leads a committee of volunteers involved in organizing the event, said she enjoys seeing people reconnect with one another at the gathering. For as much work that goes into planning the pow-wow, Warrington said, it is really a simple celebration of friendship.
“We really have a busy world right now; you don’t go out and visit any more,” she said. “Just being able to have that personal contact with people is very enjoyable.”
