Powwow season begins in spring and enters its peak through the summer. Nearly every weekend across Minnesota, tribal nations hold a powwow, whether it be in honor of Memorial Day or celebrating anniversaries. Sometimes they are held as a way to gather in community.
Deanna StandingCloud is a citizen of Red Lake Nation. She was born and raised in south Minneapolis and works with a variety of Native American organizations and gatherings, including powwows as an emcee.
Cole Redhorse Taylor is a citizen of the Prairie Island Indian Community in southeastern Minnesota. He says he has been dancing at powwows since he was a teenager, beginning with a style of dance known as grass dancing. Now, Redhorse Taylor says he mainly focuses on men’s woodland style.
StandingCloud and Redhorse Taylor were interviewed by Reporter Chandra Colvin. The conversation was lightly edited for clarity.
What is a powwow?
StandingCloud: It's like an intertribal gathering. There are two different kinds of powwows. So there's traditional, and then there's a contest powwow.
Powwows have really evolved to be kind of like this enterprise, right? So, powwow season is really upon us right now.
Redhorse Taylor: Traditional [powwows are] kind of more of an operative sense. They’re powwows that welcome people, and for people to just come and dance, and for people to enjoy themselves. Contest powwows are definitely where powwow dancing becomes a sport, and I think that's what's really exciting.
There are many contemporary things about powwow dancing and about powwows, but they're still uniquely a Native American experience that many Native American tribes offer or that we contribute to. It's very much about community as well, and it's a beautiful thing to witness.
Are they open to the public?
StandingCloud: Yes. Especially the powwows that I emcee at, I really like to make sure that people who are not Native, or it's their first powwow, feel welcome. And that's just a foundational piece of our Indigenous hospitality, is really inviting other people who are non-Native into the circle. And that's just like making relatives.
So yes, the public is welcome to attend.
What can people expect to see?
StandingCloud: You'll see colorful regalia. You'll see, especially, the strikingness of the jingle dress dancers. You'll hear the bells and the shimmer of the jingle dress dancers, which is a healing dress. It's a healing dance. And the smells and the senses — you'll smell fry bread and maybe some sage. And what you'll hear is, you know, lots of laughter.
All the style dancers who are present for that celebration will line up. And, typically, at the front, it's like a parade. So at the front, we'll have the veterans holding some of the flags.
We remove our hats, and we open our celebration in a good way. Sometimes there'll be a prayer.
Are there any protocols that should be observed at a powwow?
Redhorse Taylor: When someone's wearing their regalia, you shouldn't go up to them and just start touching their regalia. It's not a costume; it's regalia or traditional clothing.
You really have to respect someone's regalia, someone's dance items, what they have on them. They're beautiful, and it's beautiful to look at up close, but you want to be respectful.
StandingCloud: Just follow the instructions of the emcee. Be respectful and if you happen to want to take a picture of an individual, just ask for their permission. Do not touch anyone's regalia without their permission.
You can be curious. I think a lot of our — especially our young people — want to share what they know with the community. You can be curious in a very respectful way. You can ask questions. The emcee will usually be very helpful in that regard.
Also feel free to dance. So, when it's intertribal, I really like to see when people who are visitors come out to dance.
And it's not really about how you look, it's just how you feel.
Memorial Day weekend powwows
Powwows happening Memorial Day weekend include:
Leech Lake Memorial Day Traditional Powwow, Cass Lake
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May 22, 23 and 24, Veterans Memorial Grounds
Prairie Island Indian Community Memorial Day Wacipi, Welch
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May 23 and 24, Prairie Island Powwow Grounds
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Memorial Day Powwow, Onamia
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May 25, Mille Lacs Indian Museum and Trading Post
Chandra Colvin covers Native American communities in Minnesota for MPR News via Report for America, a national service program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues and communities.
