St. Ignatius family continues powwow tradition at Kyi-Yo
By KYLIE RICHTER
LAKE COUNTY LEADER
Chelsea Brave Rock of St. Ignatius has taken a tradition she learned from her grandmother and is passing it on to her daughters.
Brave Rock last week helped her daughters perform at the 47th annual Kyi-Yo Powwow at the University of Montana. Hundreds of people converged at the Adams Center to compete, celebrate and enjoy the powwow. The event had three grand entries, and included many different competitions.
Chelsea Brave Rock brought her daughters, nine-year-old Ameah and ten-year-old Cedar. Both girls participated in the powwow. Brave Rock said the girls have been dancing for about five years. She gave up dancing when her daughters started, but she is still very involved. Brave Rock hand-made both of her daughters’ dresses, including the beadwork. “I think I made Cedar’s in about four days and Ameah’s only took me a few hours,” she said.
Brave Rock said they try to make it to as many powwows as they can. This past summer, they attended the North American Indian days in Browning, where Cedar placed third in her age group.
The Kyi-Yo powwow is organized every year by the Kyi-Yo Native American student association at the University of Montana. The group’s goal is to engage the faculty and students at UM in cultural identities of Native Americans to support diversity on the campus. They also organize other events throughout the year, including a basketball tournament, the Coldwater grizzly dip, and American Indian heritage day on campus.