The Eastern Shoshone Indian Days powwow is a multi-day celebration in Ft. Washakie filled with dancing, competition, crafts, food and community. The 63rd annual powwow takes place this weekend.
While certain powwows are for tribal communities only, the event is what’s called an exhibition powwow. That means there’s a big emphasis on show and tourism, and it’s open to all people, Native and non-Native alike.
For Claw Tillman, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Entertainment Committee, the weekend is all about connecting with his community near and far.
“I always like the first grand entry,” said Tillman. “I’ve got a lot of friends through the powwow circuit, so it’s always cool to see my friends, my family, and just people I’ve known over the years.”
The grand entry kicks off the main event on Friday night at the Fort Washakie Powwow Grounds with a procession of flags and dancers from all over dressed in their finest regalia.
The festivities continue through Saturday and Sunday. There will be an Indian rodeo, relay races, a drum competition, a hand-game tournament, and all sorts of Native crafts and food to enjoy.
“A lot of the vendors will be doing fry bread and honey butter, which is comparable to a funnel cake that you’d find at a carnival,” said Tillman. “But some people will take it further and put taco meat, lettuce, and tomato on the fry bread – the Indian taco is always a must. You’ll even see vendors doing what they call ‘Indian burgers’ with a cheeseburger in between two fry bread buns.”
The powwow primarily brings together local dancers from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho communities, but it also draws in people from the Shoshone-Bannock tribe in Idaho, the Comanche tribe in Oklahoma, and other Native communities throughout the country. Last year, the event even had attendees all the way from Mexico and Canada.
According to Tillman, the event attracts a lot of people.
“We get a thousand different registered dancers, registered dancers bring their families, and we have the spectators, the arts and craft vendors, and the food vendors – I’d say there’s probably ten thousand people that show up.”
On Thursday evening, the Eastern Shoshone Boys & Girls Club Youth Contest Powwow will carve out a special space for young people to dance and connect. The event is open to all youth under eighteen and is a collaboration with the Doya Natsu Healing Center.
For more information on this weekend’s powwow, visit the Eastern Shoshone Facebook page.
