Thousands celebrate culture at annual Chippewa Cree Celebration

The 2019 Chippewa Cree Celebration saw thousands of people from across the country and Canada joining in the festivities throughout the weekend on Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation.

"It's important to families just to get them immersed in their culture," Chippewa Cree Powwow President Caryn Sangrey said, adding that she enjoyed seeing children, the Tiny Tots dancers, get to dance and spend time with adults who have been doing powwows their entire life.

The powwow this year saw more than 900 registered dancers who came from near and far, she said.

Eahtosh Bird of White Shield, North Dakota, said she is a fancy shawl dancer who wanted to come to the Rocky Boy powwow to dance and compete alongside members of her family. She said she has been dancing ever since she could walk, always a fancy dancer. She said she learned through a mixture of watching other people dance, learning from her mother and teaching herself. 

Dancing is an important experience to her and unlike anything else, she said. 

Bird added that she also made her own regalia for this year's powwow, taking her about a year to complete. She said she learned how to make her regalia from her mother, who also showed her how to create her own beadwork. She said that for her regalia this year, she used a lazy stitch, in which the stitches of the beadwork are visible, in contrast to flat stitch in which the stitches are more incorporated.

She said she enjoys the process of making regalia, determining a design and the colors she wants to use. She added that this was her first regalia she had made herself, but she is already working on her next piece and hopes to have it completed by the time she graduates from high school, just in time for her to start competing in the women's category of fancy dance.

She said she enjoys traveling for powwows because she gets to experience different cultures, with every reservation doing things differently and having something unique about their celebration.

"I enjoy being with friends from across the country," she said.

Brad Cichosz of Fort Belknap said he is a traditional dancer, but started as a grass dancer. He said he changed to traditional because it seemed to him to be more enjoyable. He added that he learned from watching other dancers and from members for his family. 

He said that he also has been dancing since he could walk and played a role in making his own regalia. He said his uncle helped him with the beadwork and putting the regalia together. His regalia represented a warrior, complete with a spear and a shield. Cichosz said that every part of his regalia was to show honor and respect to warriors.

He said it is an overwhelming feeling when he is dancing, with the drums beating and the singing in the background of the powwow.

"You can feel it," he said, adding that the beat of the drums can be felt deep within his chest and "it's like you're in your own world when you're dancing."

He added that powwows are important to the culture, to preserve the history of Native people, and something he is happy to be continuing.

Sangrey said the powwow this year was going really well, and the powwow committee worked hard to put things together. The committee did a lot of planning and although things can't always be perfect, they work to have things go as smoothly as possible. She added that the weather is always a factor but people seem to have a great time.

Powwow for her, she said, is about family, celebrating with people from all across the world and showcasing what the Rocky Boy's Reservation has to offer.

"What makes it special is that we have one of the largest powwows," she said, adding that the Rocky Boy powwow is one of the largest powwows she knows of throughout Montana and Canada. 

She said it's a really special event and something wonderful to share with people.

Sangrey said she has been involved with the powwow committee throughout her entire life, her first time being on the committee was when she was a baby - with her parents on the committee. This year was her first time as president of the committee.

"At first I was overwhelmed," she added.

She said she served on the committee in 2014 and 2016, but worked in the background rather than as the one in charge. Sangrey said it was through the hard work of everyone the event was able to come together.  

"I'm really proud of the job that we did," she said.

Sangrey said her favorite part about any powwow is the grand entry.

"I love watching all the dancers come in," she said.

She added that she used to dance when she was younger, dancing traditional, and has a great respect for the dancers.