Rocky Boy powwow starts this week

Editor’s note: This story uses the most current schedule available to the Havre Daily News. The schedule in the special section on the powwow that will be in Tuesday’s edition of the Havre Daily News went to press before it could be updated and may have some discrepancies.

Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation will come alive with displays of Native American culture this week when dancers and other travelers come to the smallest reservation in the state to take part in the 53rd annual Rocky Boy Celebration.

Each year American Indians come from all over the U.S. and Canada to take part in the celebration that consists of several days of events including a powwow.

Action starts Wednesday in the Sybil Sangrey-Colliflower Memorial Arena with a rodeo for enrolled members of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, followed by the Annual Kid’s Rodeo Thursday with events starting at 10 a.m. and both the Enos Johnson Sr. Memorial Team Roping and the open Rocky Boy Rodeo starting Friday.

The Youth Powwow is Thursday, with registration for all youth dancers start at 1 p.m. A grand entry will take place at 3 p.m followed by an initiation of youth dancers. Intertribal dancing and a youth dancers feed will take place at 4 p.m.

Tiny tot exhibition dances will take place at 4:15 p.m.

A junior girls and boys exhibition dance for dancers ages 7 to 12 will take at 4:30 p.m Thursday. Dance categories will include traditional, grass, fancy, prairie chicken and jingle. First place winners will receive $250, second and third place $200, fourth place $150 and fifth place $50.

The teen girls and boys exhibition dances for dancers ages 13 to 17 will take place at 5 p.m Thursday, 9:15 p.m. Dance categories will include traditional, grass, fancy, prairie chicken and jingle dances. First-prize finishers will get $500, second place $400, third place $300, fourth place $200 and fifth place $100.

Thursday celebrations will end at 6 p.m with a closing ceremony, retiring of the flags and color guards.

Friday’s events will begin with a Walk for Sobriety at 9 a.m. that will start in the parking lot of Old Stone Child College on the agency and end up at that powwow grounds.

Registration for dancers will start at 1 p.m. The grand entry will happen at 7 p.m.  Chippewa Cree Tribal Chairman Harlan Baker will give a welcome address. This year’s powwow will mark Baker’s  first as chairman since he was elected to the position in November.

The Alice Day Child Yellow Wolf Memorial will happen  at 7:45 p.m. A healing dance for Kailoni Mae Duran, the daughter of Kay Duran and Natalia Coversup will happen at 7:50 p.m, the Bill Parker Memorial Song and giveaway will be at 7:55 p.m. The Videl Stump Memorial and Tiny Tot exhibit dance will take place at 8 p.m and 8:30 p.m., respectfully.

A junior girl’s and boy’s dance contest will happen at 8:45 p.m. and a teen boy’s and girl’s dance will happen at 9:15 p.m. The golden age women and men’s dances for dancers 55 years of age and older will happen at 9:45 p.m. First-prize winners will get $1,000, second prize $800, third $600, fourth $400  and fifth $200.

The Demontiney Mother and Daughter special in honor of all mothers and daughters will happen at 10:15 p.m.

Adult men and women dancing will follow with dancers ages 18 to 34 at the junior level and ages 35 to 54 at the senior level. Dance categories will include traditional, grass, fancy, prairie chicken and jingle. First-prize winners will get $1,000, second place $800, third $600, fourth $400 and fifth $200.

The day of celebration will end at midnight with a closing ceremony, retiring of the flags and color guard.

Saturday’s grand entry will start at 1 p.m followed by inter-tribal dancing at 1:30 p.m and a tiny tot exhibition at 2 p.m. Junior boys and girls dance contests will take place at 2:30 p.m and teen girls and boys dance contests at 3 p.m. Golden age women and men dance contests will happen at 3:30 p.m followed by adult women and men contests at 4 p.m.

The Andrew Windy Boy Head Man Dancer Golden Age Special will take place at 5 p.m and Mary Top Sky Head Woman Dancer Golden Age Special will take place at 5:30 p.m. There will be a supper break at 6 p.m before the celebration resumes after a grand entry at 7 p.m.

Inter-tribal dancing will follow at 7:30 p.m and tiny tot exhibition dancing at 8 p.m. Junior girls and boys contests will happen at 8:30 p.m. and teen boys and girls dance contests will take place at 9 p.m and golden age women and men contests at 9:30 p.m.

The Rooster Top Sky Original Grass Dance Special will take place at 10 p.m and the Daryl Wright II and 2017 Fancy Feather Dance Special will be at 10:15 p.m.

Adult men and women contests will happen at 10:30 p.m. Events end at midnight with a closing ceremony, retiring of the flags and color guards.

Sunday’s activities will be begin with a grand entry at 1 p.m and inter-tribal dancing at 1:30 p.m. A tiny tot exhibition dance will happen at  2 p.m and junior girls and boys contests will happen at 2:30 p.m. Teen girls and boys dancing will follow at 3 p.m, golden age women and men contests at 3:30 p.m and adult women and men dance exhibitions at 4 p.m.

A Freddie Bacon Memorial Men’s Grass Dance Special is set for 5 p.m and a 2017 Pow-wow Committee Position Giveaway at 5:30 p.m. A supper break and the the payout and announcement of teens and junior contests will be at 6 p.m.

A grand entry will take place at 7 p.m and an inter-tribal dance will follow at 7:30 p.m. Tiny tots and teen exhibition dancing will at 8 p.m. A Kendra Gopher Senior Princess Special is at 8:30 p.m, a Dinay Cree Whitford Junior Princess Special at 9 p.m. and golden age women and men dance contests at 9:30 p.m.

Results of the Cynthia Murie Backup Singing Contest results will be announced at 10 p.m. and will overlap with the Ervinal Denny Jr. Buffalo Hide Drum Donation for champion contest winner.

The Women’s Jingle Special sponsored by Paxton Olivia Taylor and family will take place at 10:15 p.m. Adult men and women dancing contests will take place at 10:30p.m.

The announcement and payout of all adult contest winners will take place at midnight. The celebration will then conclude with a closing ceremony, retiring of the flags and color guard.