Guests and Native American vendors and participants traveled to Northwest Tennessee to Discovery Park to take part in the inaugural Native American Powwow held Oct. 27 – 29, 2023.
This event, unique in Northwest Tennessee, provided a place for Indigenous people from tribes around the country to celebrate their culture while educating Discovery Park visitors on this aspect of our nation’s past, present and future.
Friday’s performances and exhibitions were planned with students in mind and included a “Birds of Prey” demonstration by a ranger from nearby Reelfoot Lake State Park.
The 2023 Northwest Tennessee Native American Educational Powwow included competitions and displays of Indigenous storytelling, drumming, singing and competition dancing. Native American artisans, craftsmen and traders displayed and sold their original work and food vendors provided opportunities for guests to enjoy traditional cuisines like fry bread, tacos and hominy.
The event also included several performances by Arvel Bird. With his violin, fiddle, Native flutes and Irish whistles, Bird’s performance featured a powerful and entertaining mix of music and stories. No stranger to live entertainment, Bird has toured worldwide with Glen Campbell, Loretta Lynn, Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Louise Mandrell and Clay Walker.
You can see pictures from all three days of the Powwow on Discovery Park’s Flickr page.
Winners of the competition portion of the Powwow were:
Men’s Grass
Dancer: Stephan White Eagle
Dancer: B.C. Daugherty
Dancer: Tim Clifft
Men’s Straight
Dancer: Ronald Monoesessy
Dancer: Aaron Partin-Rogers
Dancer: Nick Behan
Girl’s Jingle
Dancer: Lena Tsosie
Dancer: Harmony Bl
Dancer: Ashtyn Terry
Women’s Traditional
Dancer: Jaida Whitecloud
Dancer: Nicole Pavateo-Santos
Dancer: Jennifer Tsosie
Men’s Traditional
Dancer: Kerry Reed
Dancer: Charles Mesteth
Dancer: Gabe Cleveland
Women’s Jingle
Dancer: Mikah Whitecloud
Dancer Brianna Printup
Dancer: Roxy Evans
Men’s Fancy
Dancer: Adam Bell
Dancer: Marcus Gardner, Jr.
Dancer: Robin Jumper
Girl’s Traditional
1st Place: Skye Poola
2nd Place: Lauren Jennings
Boy’s Grass
Dancer: Eli Poola
Boy’s Traditional
Dancer: Kayden French
Boy’s Fancy
Dancer: Ehren Bell