BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — In September, many Native Americans from different sovereign tribal nations — located across the United States and Canada — came together to honor their heritage during the 54th Annual International Powwow at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) in Bismarck.

Throughout Native American history, tribes would gather to celebrate their culture in song and dance, passing down their traditions to younger generations. Over time, these gatherings have become known as “powwows.”

“A powwow is a celebration where you come together. You may not have seen your friends all summer, but you see them at this powwow. You celebrate another year of being here on Earth,” explained Angel Young, a member of the United Indigenous Women Veterans.

Young, who participated in the posting of the color guard for this year’s event, says it was her parents who brought her to her very first powwow.

“Some of my earliest memories were going to the powwow with my parents and dancing with the tiny tots,” said Young.

Morris Bull Bear, a member of the Oglala-Lakota Tribe, made the trip from South Dakota to be at this year’s powwow. Growing up, he remembers coming to dance in powwows with his father and grandfather.

“I was probably like 5 years old, and from there, I continued dancing all of my life,” said Bull Bear.

He said preparing to dance in every powwow, takes him about an hour to put on his full attire, including his head-dress.

Bull Bear says dancing allows him to keep his traditions alive that were passed down to him from his family.

“I still remember the powwows back then. The days were long, and they were hot. We didn’t have the water breaks or anything like that, compared to the powwows we have nowadays,” explained Bull Bear.

Young says the internet has helped to expand awareness of Native American culture across the globe.

“They’ve evolved with the times. Lately, they’ve gotten high-tech, where they are streamed online for those that can’t come,” said Young.

She says mobile technology is also helping people stay better connected with one another.

“Social media plays a big role in the evolving of the powwows as well by getting the word out that there’s a celebration coming up,” she said.

Bull Bear says awareness has also grown on a global scale.

“You get a lot of family members and friends that come from all over. We have friends that come from other states and other parts of the country, and I have friends from France that are here at this powwow.”

Although powwows have evolved over the years, Bull Bear says the overall meaning of the gatherings has never changed.

“That’s what we come for. Every culture has a style and a meaning. We dance for the people and for ourselves. We dance for our family and our health,” said Bull Bear.

Young says that each song at the powwow has its own meaning.

“We have songs that tell you to come out, dance and celebrate with us, and we have songs that honor certain people.”

With every song, each singer brings their own story to the circle, and so too do the dancers, Young says. Isaac Hajicek, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, says his dance was dedicated to one of many animals honored in Native American culture.

“The chicken dance represents a prairie chicken, or sage grouse. You kind of mimic the dances that they do. A lot of ruffling your feathers,” explained Hajicek.

Like Hajicek, Cianna Littlewind, a member of the Spirit Lake Nation Tribe, enjoys celebrating her culture and connecting with people from other tribal nations.

“I’ve been on so many powwows throughout the whole summer. It means a lot to me. It really connects me with my culture and it brings me out to meet new people,” said Littlewind.

Following in her parents’ footsteps, Young is passing the same traditions of her culture down to her daughter.

“When I was dancing out there, my daughter was dancing with me. She’s four years old, and we’ve taught her from a very small age to remember our culture and to learn our culture,” expressed Young.

Like the many generations before him, Hajicek says Native American culture will remain strong by those who keep their traditions alive.

“We’re still here and we’re stronger than ever,” said Hajicek.

Bull Bear agreed and expressed his optimism that younger dancers, like Hajicek, will carry on the traditions of their ancestors.

“We will live on into the future and our young ones will take this with them, what we learned. What we live by as of today,” expressed Bull Bear.

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