DOWAGIAC — Next weekend, dancers, drummers and singers will be flocking to Dowagiac to take part in an annual celebration of Potawatomi culture.

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians will host its 34th annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow during Labor Day weekend, next Saturday and Sunday. The event, which features traditional and modern dancing and music, will take place at the Pow Wow Arena, located on the Pokagon Band’s Rodgers Lake campus, 58620 Sink Road, Dowagiac. Parking and admission are free. Grand Entry will take place at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

“This is how we celebrate our people through dance, singing and fellowship,” said Rhonda Purcell, chairwoman of the Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow Committee. “This is a way to show our willingness to share who we are, showcase our culture and welcome the greater community into our celebration.”

Kee-boon-mein-kaa in the Potawatomi language refers to the end of the huckleberry harvest, a time of celebration for the Potawatomi people, according to Pokagon officials. The pow wow draws dancers and drummers of all ages from the Great Lakes and across the country to compete for prize money in several categories. This year, organizers have added several dance contests to attract more contestants, including the Red Dress Scrub Special, a dance that has been in the Great Lakes area for generations where participating women wear a red skirt to bring awareness to the epidemic of missing and murdered indigenous women in North America. The Sweet Heart Special, a two-step dance inviting couples to exhibit their choreographed footwork as they move together as one, was also added. In addition to dance competitions, vendors at the event will be selling native artwork, jewelry, crafts and goods, as well as indigenous food.

Each year, the celebration draws thousands of visitors, many of whom have been attending for years, Purcell said. She has been attending the pow wow since she was 9 or 10 years old. She said she believes the pow wow is important as it helps keep Pokagon traditions alive for generations.

“I remember my mom, my grandma, my great aunt would all get dressed up to spend the weekend down here,” Purcell recalled. “I think it is important to show our youth that it is normal to do these things in the middle of the day, to demonstrate who we are as a people in any environment and to share that.”

Purcell said she would encourage the public to attend the pow wow, share in the Pokagon culture, see the dances and make their own family traditions.

“Come out and celebrate with us our long history and inhabitance of this beautiful place,” she said. “Allow us the opportunity to show [the community] the beautiful people we are.”

In addition to the pow wow next weekend, the 12th annual Women’s Water Walk has been scheduled for Friday. A sunrise ceremony and 15-mile walk from one tribal lake to the tribal campus at Rodgers Lake will allow to Pokagon women to pray for and protect the water, a traditional responsibility for women in Nishnabe culture.