Standing Arrow faces positive changes

ELMO — With a blazing backdrop of yellow grassy hills along the shores of glistening Flathead Lake, last weekend’s Ksanka Standing Arrow Powwow was a celebration of many things — history, culture, commonality and also diversity of tribes.

Like many powwow towns, the small Kootenai village’s population grew ten-fold overnight. There were vendors selling Native American jewelry and art. Others emitted the sweet aroma of fry bread and Indian tacos, cotton candy, ice-cream and the famed Willie Burger. There were gambling games and sports for people of all ages. There was a parade and music.

And, of course, there was dancing.

This year, however, the Standing Arrow Powwow committee was one step closer to realizing its dream of a new state-of-the-art facility. A project years in the making, construction of the new grounds came about as many of the old buildings were positioned right under the town’s power lines, operated by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), of Portland, Ore. BPA felt this was a safety hazard, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes agreed.

“One of the pavilions that was used for stick game was almost directly under the power lines and had a tin roof,” powwow committee member Vernon Finley said. “It was problematic when they were trying to take it down. People thought they could go up there and take it down piece by piece, but you couldn’t do that because you would go up there and feel the electricity.”

Last year, the buildings were mostly finished, but the ground had not been leveled and some of the interior parts of the buildings were not quite done. The committee worked hard to complete those final touches for this year’s powwow.

Now, concession buildings lined a paved walkway leading from the stick game pavilion to the main dancing area. It is outlined with bleachers to accommodate crowds of spectators. Located in the center, speakers amplified the music in all directions.

The design process was long, but the architect met numerous times with the Elmo community and powwow committee to narrow it down and tweak the details. The only thing left to do now is the landscaping, which will help to eliminate the inevitable dust that winds and a dry Montana summer will produce.

“Once we get the grass growing, I think it will turn into one of the premiere powwow spots in the Northwest,” Finley said.

Concessionaires came from all over the Northwest and many artists and craft vendors drove up from the Southwest for the event.

“They come through the powwow circuit,” Finley said. “More and more, they are adding the Standing Arrow Powwow to their list.”

Unfortunately, even with the new state-of-the-art facilities, concessionaires have seen their profit decline in the past few years.

“I went around yesterday and spoke with some of them to see how they made out and because of the economy, they’ve noticed how much it’s dropped off,” Finley said.

The stick game tournament also felt the affects of the down economy and expensive fuel prices, as its participation numbers were lower than in previous years. The tournament is a memorial dedicated to Finley’s late brother Mike Finley. This year, 39 teams participated in the tournament with the Mathias family, of Elmo/Big Arm, taking home first place.

In its second year, the Saturday morning parade showcased 187 contestants, 10 horses and about 15 floats. Dancers received participation points if they walked in the parade, so many competitors decided to enter the event.

“That was four times what I had last year, so I was just totally shocked,” parade organizer Alvina Tenas said. “I was really impressed with the turnout and I think it will only be better next year.”

At its heart, a powwow is about singing and dancing, and this one was no different.