Powwow finishes up Fort Belknap Native American Week activities

The powwow at Hays-Lodge Pole High School Thursday, the finale of Native American Week activities on Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, saw great success, with many schools throughout the area coming together for the event, said Ken "Tuffy" Helgeson, a language and cultural teacher at Hays-Lodge Pole

The powwow was the final scheduled event for the week, he added.

This is the first year that Hays-Lodge Pole, Harlem and Dodson schools organized, in a group effort, events throughout the week to help students understand and be immersed in Native heritage and be educated in the cultural roots of many of their students, said "Little" Don Racine III, a language and cultural teacher at Hays-Lodge Pole.

He added that many different community groups and programs assisted with the activities during the week.

Watch for more on the schools' Native American Week activities in next Friday's Hi-Line Living.

As students from the various schools came into the Hays-Lodge Pole gymnasium, some students were getting dressed into their regalia, getting ready for the powwow.

Racine said almost 1,000 students attended the powwow, coming from Harlem, Dodson, Chinook, St. Paul's Mission and Hays-Lodge Pole.

He added that some of the students are in full regalia, but that wasn't a requirement and all students were welcome to participate.

Two drum circles, made up of both students and adults, beat drums and sang as other students, by grade, walked and danced during the grand entry before making their way back to their seats.

Fort Belknap Community Council President Andrew Werk Jr. stood in the middle of the circle holding the Eagle staff, beside military veterans and other tribal council members holding the U.S., Montana and Fort Belknap flags.

Princesses from different tribes and areas stood behind them, along with the school principals, staff and community members who played a role in organizing the event.

People attending were of all ages and races, celebrating the idea of coming together as one in a community, Harlem Principle Doug Komrosky told the people at the powwow.

Everyone should know that Racine and Helgeson worked very hard to make the week and the powwow possible, he added.

"Those two people have been instrumental in this entire celebration and that's exactly what it is," he said. "You notice we are not all Natives, we are not all whites, we're all human beings. We've learned in the last five days that we're all the same, right, wrong or indifferent we're all the same. That's what we celebrate."

During the powwow, students were given the chance to dance in several different styles by grade and win prizes. Organizers also honored some of the students who worked hard to help with the events throughout the week, presenting them with quilts.

Racine, who is of the Aaniiih Tribe, said in an interview that he was thankful to everyone who helped organize the event and to all the different groups and schools that participated in teaching the students.

He said the lesson he would like every student to leave the powwow, and the events throughout the week, with is to "know who they are."

Helgeson said the he was happy to see so many different people from so many different areas at the event, adding that the goal of the week was to make the students into a community where they learn and understand, embrace their cultures and walk away with new knowledge and respect for the traditional teachings of the tribes.

"Be proud of who you are, everyone," Helgeson said. "Every race of man has strong rich heritage ... always walk with grace and beauty, be respectful."

He added that they hope Native American Week next year activities will be even bigger next year with more schools and communities involved.