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Dance, song, drums highlight KBIC Maawanjiíiding
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Head Youth Dancer Miranda Voakes, KBIC, right, and champion dancer Kateri Bender, Bad
River, Wis., do a shawl dance at the KBIC Pow Wow held last weekend in Baraga
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BARAGA ì Thousands of dancing feet honored the earth last week as generations came
together to share traditions at the 22nd Keweenaw Bay Maawanjiíiding, or Gathering of People, hosted by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in Baraga.
Native American youth dancers had their own Two Step Championship Saturday
afternoon while older dancers rested up for the Midnight Two Step Championship of the
World. The youth dance competition highlighted the afternoon of dance, song and vigorous drum rhythms.
KBIC head youth dancers Paul Smith and Miranda Voakes made a bridge for the
under-12 age group to begin the partner dance competition. Judges selected the six best
couples for the run-off competition and narrowed this group down to the top three
couples: first prize Chris Connor, KBIC, and Kateri Bender, Bad River, Wis.; second
prize Shiloh Lussier, KBIC, and Casey Chosa, KBIC; third prize Donald Chosa III, KBIC, and Taylor Drift, KBIC.
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Master of Ceremonies Bucko Teeple, Bay Mills Reservation, left, leads Youth Dance
Competition winners Kateri Bender, right, Bad River, Wis., and her partner, Chris Connor, KBIC, around the dance arena
for audience applause, which helped determine the final winners.
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The Champions of Saturday's Midnight Two Step Championship of the World were the
third generation of "The Bouncing Benders" Vincent Bender and Beatrice Bender, a
brother-sister team from Bad River Reservation in Wisconsin. Dance talent appears to be a tradition in the Bender family.
"Our very first Midnight Two Step Champions, 23 years ago, were their grandparents,"
said Pauline Spruce, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Pow Wow committee member.
Spruce noted the Pow Wow had a total of approximately 600 dancers and 18 drums
from all over the midwest and Canada. Saturday afternoon Grand Entry alone included 507 dancers.
"Itís awesome," said visitor Jim Billings of Copper Harbor. "Itís the most dancers Iíve ever seen here."
Ashley Gage of St. Helen, Mich., watched as her father, Mike Gage of Ahmeek, joined in the dancing to honor his Native American ancestry.
"Itís interesting to watch the dancers dance," Ashley said. "Some of them are really into it."
Six dance categories ì three for men and three for women ì exist within the Pow Wow. Each one is characterized by a certain type of regalia.
Men dances include the Mens Traditional, which tells the story of war or hunting with
graceful, dramatic gestures; the Grass Dance of preparation for the ceremony making
the clearing; and the Fancy dance of high jumps and quick footwork. While Traditional
dancers wear beadwork and eagle feathers, the Grass dancers long, multi-colored
fringes, yarn or ribbon, sway with the movement of their bodies, imitating the long,
blowing grasses of the prairie. Fancy dancers wear two multi-colored bustles around the
neck and back, with matching beadwork, designed to whip with their fast movement.
A visiting dancer from downstate, Gus Limbo, 61, of Mt. Pleasant, Mich., demonstrated
some of those quick movements as he invited some Japanese visitors to dance with him.
Limbo, of the Cherokee Nation, is widely traveled and holds the world record for limbo
dancing. He has performed in Greece, Egypt, England, Belgium and France. A six-year
army veteran, Limbo also participated in the Veterans Ceremony during the Grand Entry.
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Veteran Gus Limbo, 61, of Mt. Pleasant, Mich., a member of the Cherokee Nation, said he
keeps in shape by dancing around the world. In addition to doing Native American dance, he holds a world record for the
limbo, a Caribbean dance requiring great dexterity.
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The womens Traditional Dance is a dignified, respectful dance. The womens feet never
completely leave the ground, symbolizing their connection to Mother Earth. Their regalia
may range from cloth dresses sewn with ribbons to beaded, buckskin or hide dresses.
From time to time during the dance, the women raise a feather to the sky.
"The raising of the feather is giving thanks to the Creator," Limbo explained. "When the
dancers hear a certain beat, they raise the feather."
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During their graceful, dignified Traditional Dance, women raise a feather to the sky to
give thanks to the Creator.
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A young Ojibwa womans dream is the basis for the Womens Jingle Dress, worn for a
healing dance. The 365 metal cones adorning the dress sing with the dancers steps and
represent each day of the year with a prayer put into each one. During the honor beats
of a song, the Jingle Dress dancer uses her fan to spread the prayer into the four directions as the prayers are released from the cones.
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Regalia for the womenís Jingle Dress Dance includes 365 metal cones that sing and dance
with each step the dancer takes.
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In the light-footed Fancy Shawl Dance, women and girls wear brightly colored shawls
with fringe over their shoulders. Legend says the shawls represent the transition from a cocoon to a beautiful butterfly.
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Young women wear brightly colored, fringed shawls with their regalia for the Shawl Dance.
Their light-footed steps imitate butterflies.
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Dancers and visitors who worked up an appetite had plenty of fry bread, wild rice soup,
tacos and other specialties to choose from at the Pow Wow.
The honor of being KBIC Maawanji'iding's 2000 Fry Bread Champion of the World,
went to Eddy Edwards of Baraga. Eddy said his preparation of the fry bread included a
lot of love, honor and caring in memory of his cousin, Eric Olson, who was the first
KBIC Maawanji'iding Fry Bread Champion of the World in 1998. Eric passed away
on Thursday, July 20th, at Baraga County Memorial Hospital, while visiting KBIC for the Pow Wow.
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Eddie Edwards of Baraga holds his award for being KBIC Maawanji'iding's 2000 Fry Bread
Champion of the World. In creating his winning recipe, Eddie honored his cousin Eric Olson, the first (1998) KBIC
Maawanji'iding Fry Bread Champion of the World. Eric, who was visiting KBIC for the Pow Wow, passed away on Thursday, July
20th, at Baraga County Memorial Hospital.
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Eddieís wife, Christine Edwards, and her mother, Joyce Genia, worked hard making Eddieís
prize-winning fry bread during the Pow Wow.
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Atlantic Mine residents Helen and John Matson, who recently celebrated their 50th wedding
anniversary, enjoy fry bread with cinnamon apples during the Pow Wow.
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Spruce noted the Pow Wow usually attracts up to 5,000 people, but this Pow Wow was much bigger than the past 2 years.
"As far as an accurate count of people who attended we actually lost count!" she said.
"We ran out of dancer buttons, general public buttons and any other kind of button you can imagine!"
Spruce said preparations for next year's Maawanji'iding have already begun, with the host and co-host drums and the head dancers being secured.
By Michele Anderson
July 28, 2000
More Photos of the Pow Wow
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