HELENA, Mont. — This weekend, one of Helena’s most beloved cultural gatherings, the 27th annual Last Chance Community Pow Wow, has returned.
Experience the sights and sounds in the video below:
“We do this to celebrate that we survived,” fancy dancer Asher Bomar said.
Every year, the theme has focused on Native youth, a teaching carried through generations.
“To honor the children is to honor our youth who will be our leaders in the future,” said Darcy O’Dell, a Last Chance Community Pow Wow board member. “We do this because for many years the boarding schools silenced the voice of the children. We want to raise them up in a good way and an honorable way.”
For some of the young performers, it is more than just a weekend of dancing.
“It makes me feel happy, and it makes me feel great because it is a beat of happiness and caring,” said Piisin Walking Child, a fancy dancer.
As for Bomar: “My favorite part about it is seeing more people that are Native and coming to watch and see all of this on us.”
The Last Chance Community Pow Wow is a volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to cultural preservation, youth leadership and intertribal community connection.
“The purpose of the Pow Wow is to share the Native American culture with the community and share it with the students so they can gain an appreciation of the indigenous culture and bring it back and share it with their families,” O’Dell said.
Part of the outreach is Demonstration Day, held each year during the Pow Wow weekend, where around 800 local students participate in hands-on cultural learning. Students experience drumming, dancing, storytelling and teachings from culture bearers.
“I hope they learn the native culture, and I hope they learn the stuff that we work hard for; the money doesn’t matter; it is just being healthy and happiness,” Walking Child said.
Two fourth graders in attendance shared what seeing the culture firsthand meant to them, especially seeing some of their classmates in traditional regalia.
“I think it is important to learn other people's cultures because they are different and then maybe they like other things that we haven’t tried before and then we try those things and see if we like it,” Sloan Sekora said.
“It is so important so that we can learn,” Vega Blake added.
In addition to hosting the annual three-day Pow Wow, the organization provides year-round cultural outreach through the Magpie Singers & Dancers, offering presentations in K–12 schools, youth programs, senior communities and public events across the Helena region.
“Knowledge is power, and we just want to share it,” O’Dell said.
The Pow Wow runs from Friday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 27 at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall. The event is free, family-friendly and welcomes all nations and all people to join.
