Milk River Indian Days starts today in Fort Belknap

Native American tradition and culture is getting a premier showing this week near the Fort Belknap Agency with Milk River Indian Days starting today with the Youth Powwow.

This year’s event is the full return of the powwow, after it was canceled in 2020 and scaled back to a one-day, local-only event in 2021 due to COVID-19.

But the events are back this year, with the Youth Powwow starting tonight at 6.

Organizers say they are expecting a crowd of people attending from around the country and Canada, along with top-level drum groups, both local and from out of the area and out of state.

The powwow typically also draws a large number of vendors, also both local vendors and verndors from out of the area.

Friday kicks off with the Milk River Indian Days Parade with registration at 11 a.m. and the parade at 1 p.m. Youth bike riders are invited and will be compensated, a release said, and winners of the parade in different categories will be announced at Friday night’s powwow.

That starts with the first Grand Entry at 7 p.m. Tommy Christians of Poplar and Don Racine of Hays will be the masters of ceremonies with Walter Runs Above of Frazer the arena director.

Saturday also has the Mosquito Run, done in honor of its founder, George “Iggy” Stiffarm.

Stiffarm, who died March 2 after battling ALS for years, started the Mosquito Run/NeeWahs Run. It has been run annually for more than 40 years as a featured Saturday-morning event at the Milk River Indian Days Celebration and Fort Belknap Powwow. He was assisted by his wife Nancy in the 1980s and ’90s and his sisters and nephews have kept the race alive since his diagnosis.

Entry for the Mosquito Run is $20, with registration at 8 a.m. Saturday and the races starting at 9 a.m. at the Powwow Grounds. Race options are a 1-mile walk/run, 5k, and 7 mile. People can contact Diego Hammett at 406-450-0692 for more information.

The first grand entry for Saturday’s powwow is at 1 p.m. with a supper break from 4:30-5 p.m. and the second grand entry at 7:30 p.m.

The grand entry Sunday, the last day of Milk River Indian Days, is at 1 p.m.