By Staff
DOWAGIAC – Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians is proud to announce its 23rd annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow, its annual celebration of traditional singing, dancing and culture, to be held the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Aug. 30 and 31.
This is the second year the Band will be holding the Pow Wow on its own property, at the tribal headquarters at Rodgers Lake, located 10 miles north of Niles and five miles southwest of Dowagiac.
Last year's event was a big success with the dancers, singers, vendors and the public.
The Band's pow wow arena is set in the woods next to Rodgers Lake, and last year the weather was cooperative and everyone in attendance enjoyed the setting and the festivities.
The Band is excited to again host the event at Rodgers Lake, and once again, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend, with admission and parking free for the weekend.
"Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa" in the Potawatomi language refers to the end of the huckleberry harvest, a traditional time of celebration for the Potawatomi people.
The Pow Wow again this year will be a contest pow wow, with dancers from the Great Lakes and beyond competing for prize money.
There will also be a hand drum contest on Saturday afternoon, which gives the traditional drum groups a chance to compete and to perform their songs in a quieter and more intimate setting.
Vendors will also be present selling Native artwork, jewelry, crafts and goods, as well as traditional food.
A special competition this year will be a Great Lakes Old-Style dance contest.
This came about when regular attendees of the regional Great Lakes pow wows took notice that Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa would regularly attract a number of dancers with dance regalia that reflected traditional Potawatomi and Great Lakes styles and designs not regularly seen on the pow wow trail.
While the Pow Wow includes a Traditional Dance contest category along with contemporary dance categories, Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa wanted to have a special category to acknowledge this particular link to the beautiful ancient culture.
Part county fair, part family reunion, and part traditional ceremony, the Pow Wow is a time for Native people to celebrate their identity and to visit and share with their friends in the greater community.
It is a time to be with friends and family, for traditional drum groups to sing their songs, for tribal dancers to perform their steps and for craftsmen and women to display their handiwork.
Pokagon Band's pow wow arena is located at its Rodgers Lake headquarters at 58620 Sink Road, Dowagiac.
This is west of M-51 between Dowagiac and Niles.
Take Peavine Road west from M-51 to Sink Road, then turn left (south) on Sink to the tribal property.
Parking and admission are free, and the event is open to the public.
Grand Entries for the Pow Wow are at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Gates open at 10 a.m. both days.
For more information contact Kevin Daugherty of the Pow Wow Committee at (269) 591-1230, or visit the Pokagon Band Web site at www.pokagon.com.