JulyAmsh Powwow begins in Coeur d’Alene
Bells jingled, feathers swayed and drums pounded Friday evening as the annual JulyAmsh Powwow kicked off at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
Dancers filled the arena for a grand entry celebration, bringing together men, women and children who will perform this weekend. The line of dancers came in slowly, dancing in circles repeatedly until a solid mass of dancers twirled and stepped to the beat of the music.
The weather was warm Friday evening and is expected to stay that way all weekend. Organizers set up water-misting fans in the covered grandstand and had wheelbarrows of ice and bottled water ready for the dancers in their heavy regalia. There are also plenty of vendors on site selling cold drinks, food, crafts and other items.
Dancers typically come from all over the United States and Canada for the powwow to dance and socialize. They will compete in several styles of dance, including the men’s grass dance, the women’s traditional dance, women’s fancy/shawl dancing, the men’s traditional dance, men’s fancy dancing and women’s jingle dancing.
Carmen Grass had a spot picked out in the front row of the grandstand with her husband and mother-in-law. They recently moved to Coeur d’Alene from Yakima.
“We haven’t been here before,” she said. “We live right down the road.”
Grass said they used to attend a powwow in Toppenish and were happy to find a large powwow in Coeur d’Alene. She said she enjoys seeing the different types of regalia the dancers wear.
“We just like the culture,” she said. “The bonnets are beautiful.”
Nine-year-old Levi Mahoney sat in the grandstands waiting for his turn to dance, wearing regalia for the grass dance. It included long strands of yarn to represent long grass. Mahoney, a member of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, was unable to articulate why he likes to dance, other than that he likes the movement.
“I just like it,” he said.
His father, Harold Simpson, said Mahoney has only been dancing for about two years.
“I’m slowly integrating it into his life right now,” Simpson said. “He wasn’t raised traditionally.”
Simpson, a Navajo, lives in Arizona with Mahoney and his daughter, 6-year-old Sage Simpson. She does fancy dancing and was also dressed for competition with a fancy shawl. Simpson said they enjoy traveling to powwows together.
“He likes to come out and be part of it,” he said. “We’ve been hitting most of the powwows in New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona and Utah.”
The family always makes it a point to come to the JulyAmsh Powwow, which is billed as the largest outdoor powwow in the Northwest.
“We’re here every year,” Simpson said. “We have friends and family out here.”
There will be more than $120,000 in prizes awarded to dancers competing in style and age categories. The drummers who perform for the dancers are also competing for prizes.
The competition continues Saturday and Sunday. There are additional grand entry performances set for 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and at 1 p.m. Sunday. There will be a horse parade 30 minutes before each grand entry.
Admission is $10 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Parking is also free. The Kootenai County Fairgrounds are located at 4056 N. Government Way.