The 42nd annual American Indian Council Powwow at Montana State University will be held April 14-15 at MSU's Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The powwow is free and open to all. 

 

The American Indian Council Powwow is one of the largest in Montana. The powwow begins at 6 p.m. Friday, April 14, with a grand entry. There will also be grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. Dance and drum competitions with cash prizes are offered. 

 

The host drum group will be Northern Cree. The head woman dancer is Trisheena Kills Pretty Enemy, Crow. Head man dancer is Dion Killsback, Northern Cheyenne. The masters of ceremonies will be Jason Goodstriker, Kainai (Blood Tribe) and L. Jace Killsback, Northern Cheyenne. 

 

The arena director is Devan Kicknosway, Walpole Island First Nation in southern Ontario, Canada. Assistant arena director is CJ Other Medicine, Crow. The head dance judge is Jay Old Coyote, Crow. Head singing judge is Michael Spears, Lakota. Tiny Tots dancers, up to five years of age, will be given an opportunity to dance and gifted small prizes during each of the three powwow sessions.

 

Booths located in the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse will offer a variety of artisan work for sale, including a limited number of powwow posters signed by artist Ben Pease, an MSU student. Non-profit and government organizations also will share information. Concessions will be available for purchase.

The American Indian Council has organized a bison rifle hunt raffle with proceeds going to help fund the powwow. The bison is donated by the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the winning bison rifle hunt will take place on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Two hundred tickets are available for purchase for $100, until they are sold out or until about 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 15. The winner of the raffle will be announced between 7-8 p.m.and the winner of the raffle must be present to win.

 

Powwow organizers are seeking volunteers from the MSU and greater community to help with the event. To volunteer, go tohttps://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdStcD07xrmxisPnoJYGHsx4de2_z1aIsHDl9YmWwMCHyY5fg/viewform.

 

The American Indian Council, an MSU student organization, raises funds to help ensure the powwow is free. The MSU Department of Native American Studies and multiple colleges, departments and programs as well as off campus organizations also contribute. For more information about the powwow, go to www.montana.edu/aic or contact Francine Spang-Willis at (406) 994-5529 or francine.spangwillis@montana.edu or contact Richard White at (406) 994-4880 or richard.white5@montana.edu.

 

The American Indian Council Powwow Fun Run with 5K, one-mile and walking categories, will be held on April 15, beginning at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse parking lot. Registration begins at 8 a.m. the day of race with the race beginning at 9 a.m. The walk category will begin at 9:05 a.m. There is a $10 registration fee, which includes a race T-shirt. For more information, contact Scott Flatlip at scott.flatlip@msu.montana.edu or (406) 697-2540.

 

The annual MSU Powwow Basketball Tournament, with cash prizes, will be held April 14-15. For more information, go to the tournament webpage or call Cheryl Polacek at 994-6114 or email powwowball@gmail.com. 

 

The Presidential American Indian alumni brunch, set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday, April 15, in the Hall of Fame Room of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, will feature keynote speakers Dion Killsback and Anita Moore-Nall, both MSU graduates. Killsback, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe who graduated from MSU in 2000, is a lawyer specializing in Indian law at the Rosette Law Firm. He is based in New Mexico. Moore-Nall, a member of the Crow Tribe, recently earned her doctorate degree in Earth sciences at MSU. Her dissertation was on uranium deposits on the Crow Reservation. 

 

For more information about the brunch go to www.msuaf.org/powwow17 or contact the MSU Alumni Foundation at (406) 994-2401 or email alumni@montana.edu. The brunch is free, but those who wish to attend should RSVP by Monday, April 10, at www.msuaf.org/powwow17. RSVPs may be made by calling (855) 850-2586 or emailingrsvp@msuaf.org or contacting Francine Spang-Willis at (406) 994-5529 or francine.spangwillis@montana.edu.

 

The Native American Development Group, a MSU student organization, is raising funds and attention for the proposed American Indian Student Center at MSU. A “Prayer for Tomorrow’s Presence” event will take place at the proposed site of the American Indian Student Center, across from Roberts Hall, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Friday, April 14. The event will honor those donors who wish to be recognized, provide information about the importance of the planned American Indian Student Center and include a pipe ceremony. A free lunch will be served. MSU President Waded Cruzado and members of the MSU Council of Elders will attend. In case of inclement weather, the event will be held in the SUB Ballrooms. For more information, contact Dawson Demontiney at dawsondemontiney@gmail.com.