Editor’s note: Scroll down to find the digital version of the 2024 powwow guide.
One of my earliest memories is being at a powwow, holding my eldest sister’s hand as we danced a Ho-Chunk side-step around the drum.
My first Ho-Chunk appliqué dress was royal blue and hand-sewn by one of my Bear Clan women relatives. I wore it every weekday during the summer when I was 6 years old. That’s when my family spent the summer at a Ho-Chunk village in Wisconsin, where we entertained tourists and danced in several daily performances — something we had done previous summers.
Dancing was a huge part of our lives. It not only connected us with our relatives and friends, but also with our ancestors. It still does.
Above all, it brings us joy.
That’s what I hope you feel as you read the pages of our 2024 Powwow Guide. The stories, both written and visual, capture how our songs and dances connect us as Indigenous peoples.
The striking images from award-winning photographer Eugene Tapahe are works of art. In a question-and-answer format, Tapahe shares how he felt a calling to pursue his Jingle Dress Project. The collection of photos has won awards and has drawn attention to issues facing Indigenous communities, particularly Indigenous women. We feature some photos from his project and we also hear from his daughter, Erin, who was photographed as part of the “Art Heals: The Jingle Dress Project” collection.
We also have a story from our freelance entertainment writer Sandra Schulman about the Osage song that was nominated this year for an Academy Award. She talks to a co-writer of the song “Wazhazhe (A Song for My People),” performed in the closing credits of the Martin Scorsese film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
No powwow song is complete without the accompanying voices of women backup singers. ICT staff writer Kalle Benallie tells us how some backup singers are teaching the craft to a younger generation. That’s music to my ears. I have women relatives whose beautiful voices take songs to a powerful place and make us feel like dancing all the more.
These and other stories fill the pages, along with our powwow listing. The guide contains a list of more than 180 powwows across Native America. Please use it to plan your 2024 powwow season.
I hope to see you somewhere along the powwow trail. I plan to make some new memories to add to the cherished one of my eldest sister and me, dancing around the drum.
Karen Lincoln Michel
President and CEO, IndiJ Public Media
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