Just two days after the Fourth of July, arena directors Kevin Kicking Woman, Clarence Comes At Night and Lucky Whitegrass will join emcees Earl Old Person, Jay St. Goddard and Kenny Scabby Robe in opening the 55th North American Indian Days celebration in Browning. The largest annual powwow in Blackfeet Country, Indian Days attracts visitors from across North America and around the world, as well as some of the best dancers and brightest drum groups in Indian Country.
This year's edition of the celebration opens with the inauguration of five new members of the Blackfeet Tribal Business Council. A hotly contested race, the Tribal Council elections this year pitted some 73 candidates for the five, four-year positions open this season. The number was whittled down to a pair each, or 10 in all, in time for the general election June 27, and the winners will be installed at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 6, in the Dance Arbor.
The inauguration is one of the first orders of business at NAID this year, with the first Grand Entry slated for 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon.
Prior to the first dancers entering the arbor, visitors and locals alike will have a chance to watch as crews from the National Park Service, Legacy Transportation and the Montana National Guard set up the big tents of “Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future” at the Museum of the Plains Indian. At 9 a.m. Thursday morning the traveling Lewis and Clark Expedition exhibit will set up, ready for four days of shows. Corps II is open to the public July 7 through July 10, and admission is free. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. On July 10, the exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
While the Corps II travelers are making Browning the 86th stop on their tour, the traveling exhibit by the National Indian Rodeo Hall of Fame is making Browning first on their agenda. On display at the Blackfeet Stampede Park, the Hall of Fame Road Trip joins the Indian relays, horse racing and rodeo events at the NAID Rodeo.
Prize amounts for dancers and drum groups have increased this year, said NAID Committee members, to attract more contestants to the powwow. A record number of dance specials is slated for the 55th Indian Days, thanks to families and community members who commemorate their relatives in this way. The initial Grand Entry is 2 p.m. Thursday, but dancing points and the drum contests begin in the evening session's second Grand Entry at 7 p.m.
The action in the arbor may be enough for some people, but a host of other activity is ongoing at any Indian Days celebration. The Stick Game Tournament is one of the hottest contests around, with a top prize of $5,000 tempting teams to try their skill at guessing and hiding the bones. A carnival will be set up and ongoing, and the vendors' area will be jammed with opportunities to buy food, tee shirts and Indian arts and crafts.
Even more chances to access Indian art is available at two nearby locations. The Blackfeet Heritage Center and Art Gallery is just across a small street from the NAID campgrounds and features some of the best local Indian art available. Directed by Loren Bird Rattler, formerly of the Smithsonian Institution, the Heritage Center features a wide variety of art with a focus on local craftspeople and includes a featured Artist of the Month.
Just to the west and south, the Museum of the Plains Indian's gift shop has been revitalized in a partnership between the Blackfeet Tribe and Blackfeet Community College. The Pikuni Gift Shop at the Museum is open during regular museum hours and features not only artworks by the best artists in Blackfeet Country, but also boasts a sales crew of students and instructors from the Hospitality and Tourism Department at BCC.
The North American Indian Days Parade is set to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 8, and follows the same route through and around Browning as every year. Nearly anyplace in downtown Browning is a good place to set up and view the parade, and at the main intersection of Piegan Street and US Highway 2, the parade will go by in several directions at once. An enormous number of participants, floats, dancers and riders is to be seen, as judges on the dais evaluate a long list of categories to determine the winners.
Other activities include the annual Reevis-Webber Family Breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Friday morning, July 7, at the Dance Arbor and Catholic Mass Sunday morning at 10 a.m., also at the Dance Arbor.
The principle contacts for more information about NAID are Jodi Calf Boss Ribs 338-7103, Jim McNeely 338-7342, Wanda Glaze 338-3533, Tony Sinclair 338-7421, Donna Yellow Owl 338-7960 and Vanessa Kipp 338-7521.
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