Annual pow wow celebrates family, communities

Sitting together about halfway up the bleachers and off to the side were three girls dressed in Salish regalia, taking in the scene they know so well.

Attending the 43rd Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Head Start Pow Wow at the Ronan Event Center last Friday, the girls partook in a tradition that has long been in their family.

A steady cadence and prayer filled the air along with chatter and kids laughing, waiting for the event to start.

Lilyann, Halle, and Nadia, sisters Adams from Arlee, sat with their mother, Andrea just before the grand entrance.

“My mom, (Lolita Hendrickson), and Jeannee Christopher started this pow wow” 43 years ago, Andrea said.

Sweetgrass was incorporated into the sisters’ regalia. Nadia explained its significance by saying, “my grandpa died a couple of years ago, and it was given to me by him.”

Halle and Nadia each wore otters in their hair, while Nadia added a feather plume to her look.

Lilyann wore her great-grandpa’s belt, along with a turtle necklace.

Once the honor song is started at pow wows, Halle said that she feels proud. The moment of the celebration is her favorite, she said.

The whole family, Nadia said, has been either enrolled or worked at Head Start.

Her “Aunt Jeanne,” brother, grandmothers, sisters and niece have all been involved with the program.

“It’s very significant to our family,” she said.

Five years ago, Myrna DuMontier, a cultural coordinator, asked the crowd for a show of hands of how many parents were Head Start students.

“Most raised their hands,” she said.

The pow wow is a celebration of children, a way to say and give thanks to the community at large for letting Head Start “help” and “assist” families in raising their children.

“It’s something we enjoy,” she said, of the pow wow and the opportunity to be involved in families.

Kids are encouraged to dress up, although it’s not a requirement.

Each year, volutneers make moccasins for the kids. This year, they made 300 pairs.

The yearly pow wow, DuMontier said, is “just about having a good time.”