33rd annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow celebrates Pokagon culture

Published 7:47 am Tuesday, September 4, 2018

By Sarah Culton

DOWAGIAC — Clink. Clink. Clink.

The sounds came together to form a song as dancers wearing ornate, colorful regalia danced to a steady drum beat, filling an arena on Pokagon land with a bright, proud noise Saturday.

The sunlight, peeking out from behind the clouds, beamed off hundreds of jingling silver bells attached the clothing of native dancers, as they twirled and stomped. Feathers and shawls on their backs moved with them as they danced a dance that was as much a celebration of their culture as it was a competition.

The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians hosted its 33rd annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow Saturday and Sunday at the Pokagon Band’s Rodger Lake campus, 58620 Sink Road. The pow wow is an
annual celebration of traditional singing, dancing and culture for the Pokagon Band. The event attracts native singers, drummers and dancers from all over the country to compete for prize money in several categories. Vendors selling native artwork, jewelry and food were also at the event.

Weather was not on the side of the pow wow, as rains delayed Saturday’s Grand Entry event by an hour. However, the dancers who competed said the rain delay did not dampen their experience, as the pow wow celebrates their culture — rain or shine.

Rick Cwalina, a dancer from Cleveland, Ohio, attended the pow wow with his daughters, Shelby and Kayla. Despite the fact that they had to take shelter from the rain, he said he was glad he attended the pow wow because it gave him a chance to share the dances of his ancestors with his young daughters.

“Our dances are passed down from generation to generation,” Cwalina said. “It was passed down from my grandpa to my dad to me and my kids. … We are still having a great time, even with the rain. We are getting to meet up with old friends and family. It’s great.”

Derek D’artagnan, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was similarly unbothered by the rain, despite the fact that it had an effect on his regalia.

“I’m just happy to be here and participate,” he said. “This isn’t about if it is raining or sunny. I’m not even really here to compete. … I’m here to represent my family, my clan and my nation. I’m here to dance in the style and pray and to be positive about it.”

For Jefferson Ballew, of Mishawaka, the rain was a positive thing, as rain in many Native American cultures is seen as cleansing.

“When the rain comes, it blesses the area,” he said. “It’s nice when Mother Nature steps in and does that for us.”

No matter what they thought of the weather, the dancers all agreed that the pow wow was an important event that celebrated Native American culture.

“It’s important for us, through dance, to tell a story about who we are and where we come from,” Ballew said. “It’s so important for us to be able to gather on our sovereign land, a land that is governed by a tribal council. It’s important for us to exert our sovereignty to keep it. It’s important that we all meet together at celebrations like this to remember who we are.”

Once the rain cleared and the dancers were able to enter the arena, the energy of the pow wow changed as hundreds of spectators watched the dancers loop around the arena.

“There is nothing like a pow wow,” Cwalina said. “It’s something special.”

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