Fort Washakie, WY

I pulled into Fort Washakie looking for a place to eat lunch. A local lady said the only place was the gas station but then offered, “Maybe they’ve set up at the Pow-Wow.” She directed me to the grounds. Indeed, food vendors were just opening their doors. I’ve stumbled upon the 51^stAnnual Eastern Shoshone Tribal Days, Wyoming’s largest Pow-Wow, that starts this evening.

The Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapahoe Tribe, historical enemies, were forced by the government 150 years ago to live on the Wind River Reservation. They each now occupy about half the reservation land, the Shoshone to the west, the Arapahoe in the east. They each have their own governing bodies but the overall reservation policies are run by a bi-tribal business council.

After being unable to finish an Indian taco, I made camp under a cottonwood tree along with the early arrivals and vendors. I watched Curtis Bennie, a Shoshone, direct a group of young men in how to erect a teepee.”I am trying to pass along my knowledge to our younger generation,” he said. He was teaching the Shoshone method of building a teepee, which initially uses four poles to start the structure. The Arapahoe, who were set up on the other side of the dance circle, use three poles. Bennie said both use a total of 21 poles, including the “ears” which control the rise of smoke out of the top and also act a window. While his ancestors used 19 to 21 buffalo hides to cover the teepee, Bennie uses a single piece of canvas.

Native American contestants and performers from throughout the country will attend the four-day event. Dancers will compete in the women’s jingle, women’s traditional, men’s grass, men’s fancy feather, men’s fancy prairie chicken dance divisions, among others. Drummers will also compete. Prizes go as high as $10,000.

He explained that pow-wows are family social gatherings This where grandpa met grandma. Very controlled environment for kids, community, unity, family. Sign: No alcohol, guns, gangs, violence.