It was a feast for the senses for visitors to the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi’s pow wow arena this past weekend.

As drummers produced powerful, driving beats, matched by the warbling voices of Native American singers, dancers of many ages, hailing from tribes across the United States and Canada, performed routines that were steeped in tradition. The men and women who circled the arena were dressed in colorful regalia, some adorned with feathers and beads while others were wore dresses with tiny golden metal cones that softly jingled as they danced.

Hundreds of visitors came to out to experience the unique cultural event Saturday and Sunday, as the local tribe hosted its 32nd annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow. The Labor Day weekend tradition attracted more than 300 dancers and drummers to the Rodgers Lake campus, who competed for thousands in prize dollars through various dancing and music events throughout the two days.

“We are impressed by the turnout,” said Marcus Winchester, a member of the pow wow planning committee. “Some of the best dancers in the Midwest are here this weekend. There are other events going on this weekend, which are offering more money, but they chose to come here instead. We attribute that to our hospitality.”

Winchester, a historian with the Pokagon Band, has been a member of the planning committee for the past three years, he said. The tribe, headquartered in Dowagiac, has organized the Labor Day weekend festivities for more than 30 years, though the Potawatomi people who inhabited southwest Michigan have always seen the late summer as a time of great joy: the name “Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa” is Potawatomi for “we are done harvesting huckleberries.”

“Our people traditionally celebrate this time of year,” Winchester said. “We invite others to come celebrate with us, to show off our nation and to shower our guests with hospitality.”

Winchester has participated in the Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa since he was child, back when it was still hosted at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend. After years of dancing in the event, he decided to step back several years ago to help organize the event.

Winchester said he and the other committee members have poured months of their time into planning the event, including finding people to staff the event, locating vendors interested in selling food or gifts outside the pow wow arena and other tasks. This year, the committee was able to hire Vince Beyl, a highly regarded announcer in the pow wow circuit, to serve as master of ceremonies for this year’s Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa event.

Backing up the pow wow staff were many members of the Pokagon government, including the tribal police who helped with parking and security throughout the weekend, Winchester said.

“Every department has had a hand in this event one way or another,” he said. “It could not happen without them.”

Witnessing the pow wow grow from its humble origins 32 years ago to massive celebration it exists today — for the Pokagon Band, other Native Americans and others across Michiana — is something Winchester said he is proud to experience.

“As our tribe grows, so does the pow wow,” Winchester said. “It’s a good indicator of how healthy our community is.”