Wind River Reservation's North Bear drum group wins National Hand Drum prize

North Bear drum group from the Wind River Reservation wins 2012 National Hand Drum prize in Albuquerque NM this past weekend.

Start planning now to attend the 30th annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow in Cody

30th Annual Plains Indian Museum Powwow
High Energy, History, and Fun!

June 16 – 17, 2012

Joe Robbie Powwow Garden
Grand Entries: Saturday, Noon & 6 p.m. and Sunday, Noon

Take part in the dancing, music, and energy of the Plains Indian Museum Powwow. Dancers, drum groups, and artists gather from across the Northern Plains to celebrate the vibrant cultural traditions and histories of the people of the Plains that are still present today. Our Powwow is not a demonstration but a competitive event that brings in talented dancers and drum groups who will show you what a Powwow is all about.

A popular educational program is the Powwow Learning Tipi. Gloria Goggles, a Lakota educator from Ethete, Wyoming, invites visitors to discover the traditions of powwow. Young visitors have the opportunity to try on different types of powwow clothing. The tipi provides a relaxed atmosphere to explore different powwow dance styles and their origins.

Over forty Native artists will have booths on the Powwow grounds, along with fry bread vendors and a grill menu and beverages in the concession stand.

Curious about the history of powwows and powwow dance styles? Our website is just the beginning to your powwow experience...

Admission Prices and Schedule

Gate opens to the public at 9:30 a.m. Admission is good for one day of the event, please check the event schedule, which is a general guide and subject to change due to weather and number of participants.

·                   $7 for adults (18 and older)

·                   $3 for youths (7 – 17)

·                   Children 6 and under are free

·                   Tickets may be purchased at the gates only

·                   No senior or group discounts

·                   Press passes are available with prior arrangements

·                   BBHC Members receive $1 discount on admission price each day with a valid membership card

Visitors are welcome to bring chairs or blankets for our outdoor, grass ampitheater. Please—no pets. For travel and lodging information contact the Cody Chamber of Commerce. For questions about visiting the Buffalo Bill Historical Center contact Nancy McClure at 307.578.4102, email nancym@bbhc.org.

For Our Dancers

2012 officials and invited drums will be announed in the spring. Dancers and their families recieve a free pass to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center exhibits at dancer registration. Registration 8 a.m. – noon Saturday; late registration or for specials on stage both days. Contact: Rebecca at 307.578.4049, email rebeccaw@bbhc.org.

Dance Categories and Schedule of Events

Competitive dance categories include men's and women's traditional and fancy, women's jingle, men's grass, and men's and women's golden age. Several special are yet to be announced.

·                   Adults (18 – 54) & Golden Age

·                   Teens (13 – 17)

·                   Boys & Girls (7 – 12)

·                   Team Dancing Special

Vendor Information

The Powwow welcomes vendors who are selling arts and crafts made by enrolled members of North American Indian tribes and Nations. No food booths please. For more information on vendor spaces, e-mail Rebecca West or call 307.578.4049.

Ancient art celebrated at Aug. 25 grand opening of Legend Rock State Historic Site

A grand opening of the Legend Rock State Historic Site visitors’ center will take place at 6 p.m., Thursday, August 25. In addition to Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), other dignitaries expected to speak at the event are Starr Weed of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, State Parks and Cultural Resources Commissioner Carolyn Buff and BLM Archaeologist Mike Bies. FMI: http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Legend-Rock-Petroglyph-Historic-Site/32516

NEAT exhibit opens July 1 at Lander Art Center

"Black Coal" by Colleen Friday

The Native Emerging Artist Training (NEAT) exhibition is scheduled to open July 1, 2011 and run through August 6 at the Lander Art Center in downtown Lander.

The NEAT program began in 2009 to help train Native artists from the Wind River Reservation how to enter juried exhibitions and how to market their artwork.

This year, the show consists of young artists from Wyoming Indian Middle School as well as skillful adult artists.

"Arapaho Journeys" by Sara Wiles set for a May release from University of Oklahoma Press

Sara Wiles has announced the publication of her book, Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Wind River Reservation. Get more information on the book -- and see some of the photos -- at http://www.sarawiles.com/Arapaho_Journeys/Arapaho_Journeys.html

There also will be an exhibit of Sara's work at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody:

“Arapaho Journeys: Photographs and Stories from the Reservation”
April 29-October 2, 2011 in the BBHC Special Exhibitions Gallery
Public reception: Friday, April 29, 5-7 p.m.

Arapaho Journeys features contemporary photographs by Sara Wiles of Northern Arapaho people—elders, children, families, and leaders.

The exhibition's insightful photographs of the people, as well as the tribal activities, of the Northern Arapaho invite viewers into the culture, values, and philosophies that guide contemporary Arapaho life. They also honor individuals who have contributed much to their own communities as leaders, artists, and traditionalists.

While providing a historical background for the Northern Arapaho, the exhibition also depicts the experiences of younger tribal members growing up on the reservation as they participate in traditional cultural activities.

As one of two American Indian tribes with contemporary homelands in Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho constitute an important element of the state's heritage.

Arapaho Journeys is supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.

11th annual Native American Business Expo set for May 4 at Intertribal Center in Riverton

The 11th Annual Native American Business Expo/Wind River Business Conference will be held Wednesday, May 4, 2011, at the new Intertribal Center in Riverton. The target market includes those located on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Fremont County, and statewide. This year it has three main focuses: "Artisan, General Business, and Government Contracting."

FMI: Margie E. Rowell, Director, Small Business Development Center, 213 W. Main Street, Suite C, Riverton WY  82501; 1-800-969-8639; http://WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz

Scottsdale promotes Dave McGary's sculptures of Native Americans

This video comes to us via the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Convention and Visitors Bureau. It features sculptor Dave McGary and some of his work now on the grounds of the Camelback Resort and Spa. McGary grew up near Cody and got his start as an artist in Wyoming. He's best known for his Chief Washakie sculpture which is one of Wyoming's two pieces in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. A duplicate is in the Wyoming State Capitol Building and soon will be relocated to a spot in front of the Capitol Building. Another Chief Washakie statue resides on the Wind River Reservation. Dave has galleries in Scottsdale and Ruidoso, N.M.

Wind River Dancers perform this weekend at the BBHC in Cody

From the BBHC:

With a theme of “A Cultural Heritage Shared Through Dance and Songs,” the Wind River Dancers perform a variety of American Indian dance styles, which include men’s traditional, grass, and fancy feather, as well as women’s fancy shawl, jingle dress, and traditional. While drums beat and dancers sway, the dance styles are described and explained to audiences to share Native American culture and heritage.

With “A Look at Powwow,” Darrell Lone Bear and the Wind River Dancers from Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation make a return visit to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center on Saturday and Sunday, August 21 and 22 to perform dances and share the tribal traditions and social customs of Powwow. Seating is limited in the Center’s Coe Auditorium; however, there are three performances each day to accommodate visitors: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The popular presentations are free with admission.

The performances are partially funded through a private donation. For more information contact Megan Smith at megans@bbhc.org or 307.578.4028. To stay abreast of activities and news at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, visit http://www.bbhc.org/.


The Wind River Dancers are members of the Wyoming Arts Council's artist roster. To bring this group to your community, apply for a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. Get info and applications at the WAC web site.

Margaret Coel presents "Arapahos, the Spirituality of a Plains Indian Tribe"

Colorado author Margaret Coel will be conducting a program entitled "Arapahos, the Spirituality of a Plains Indian Tribe," July 11-17, at Ring Lake Ranch near Dubois. Get registration information at http://www.ringlake.org/. Margaret's best-selling mysteries are set in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. Her most recent novel, The Silent Spirit, will be published in September.

Business plaza opens in Fort Washakie

Anne Even sends this invitation:

Wind River Development Fund invites you to attend the grand opening of their new location and be among the first to tour the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza.

Wednesday, June 23, 3-5 p.m.

3 Ethete Road

Fort Washakie, Wyoming

Opening ceremonies will begin promptly at 3 p.m.

Refreshments will be served.

FMI: Anne Even, Business Development Specialist, Wind River Development Fund, Fort Washakie, Toll Free (877) 253-3824, http://www.wrdf.org/, aeven@wrdf.org

Providing financial opportunities on the Wind River Indian Reservation

Native American Business Expo in Lander

The Wind River Development Fund in Fort Washakie presents the Native American Business Expo & Wind River Business Conference on Thursday, April 22, 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at the Best Western Inn in Lander.

The Wind River Development Fund (WRDF) provides local entrepreneurs and businesses with small business training, counseling, and business loans.

FMI: 307.335.7330 or toll free 877.253.3824 •

Cheyenne/Arapaho tribes in Wyo., Mont. and Okla. win preservation award

The Billings Gazette reports this:

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has presented its Preservation Honor Award to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Montana, Wyoming and Oklahoma.

The award to the tribes was one of 23 bestowed by the National Trust during its 2009 National Preservation Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

On Nov. 29, 1864, U.S. military troops attacked a peaceful encampment of Cheyenne and Arapaho along Sand Creek in what is today southeastern Colorado.

More than 150 American Indians -- many of them women, children and the elderly -- were killed in the attack. Nearly four years later, Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer led a surprise dawn raid on a sleeping Southern Cheyenne encampment along the Washita River in western Oklahoma.

Today, more than 140 years after the carnage, both the Sand Creek Massacre Site and the Washita Battlefield are National Historic Sites, thanks in large measure to the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribe members who would not let their history be forgotten.

Along with the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, co-recipients honored were the National Park Service; Steve Brady; Otto Braided Hair; Ben and Gail Ridgely; Lee LoneBear; Richard Williams; Gov. Darrell Flyingman; and Chief Gordon Yellowman.

Winners of the National Preservation Awards will appear in the ovember/December issue of Preservation Magazine and online at www.PreservationNation.org/awards.

Native Emerging Artists Training begins 8/19

Poulet's "Images of Wind River Country" set for July 30 at Teton Co. Library

From a press release:

Join award-winning French photographer Claude Poulet as he presents a slideshow of his images captured in “Wind River Country, Hidden Heart of Wyoming,” the recently-published coffee table book. The slide show, "Images of Wind River Country" by Claude Poulet, takes place on Thursday, July 30 from 7-8 p.m. in Teton County Library’s Ordway Auditorium in Jackson. A book signing will follow the presentation, which is free and open to the community with support from donations, large and small, to the Teton County Library Foundation.

Poulet’s photos have formed the framework for a number of French picture books about the West and other far flung places in the world. About 25 years ago he fell in love with the American West and has spent much of his time here since. As he researched the area, he became aware of the fact that, despite countless books about Wyoming and places like Jackson Hole, very little had been written about Wind River Country. The Wind Rivers encompass the Wind River Indian Reservation of more than 2 million acres, Wyoming’s highest peak and vast uncrowded national forests.

Poulet collaborated with writer Bayard Fox, owner of the Bitterroot Ranch, to create the book “Wind River Country, Hidden Heart of Wyoming,” with intriguing essays and illustrative photos about everything from the astounding landscape to the history and present-day culture of the surrounding communities. It was published in 2008 by Fremont County Publishing based in Riverton.

For more information about Poulet’s slide show and talk, contact the library’s Adult Humanities Coordinator Oona Doherty at 733-2164 ext. 135. You can also visit the library online at http://www.tclib.org/.

New foundation supports Native American arts

Here are excerpts from an article by Robin Pogrebin in the New York Times about a new foundation that will support Native American arts:

Even as arts groups around the country are cutting back because of declining endowments and donations, a new foundation to support the work of American Indian, Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native artists is being established with an initial $10 million from the Ford Foundation.

Called the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, the organization, formally opened on Tuesday, says it will be the first permanently endowed national foundation of its kind.

The new foundation will provide direct grants to artists and arts organizations, support native arts leadership and team up with other native-led efforts to increase financial support for indigenous arts and cultures.

“Arts and culture and traditional languages and religions have been the glue that held Native Americans together — often in the face of great adversity,” said Walter Echo-Hawk, chairman and creator of the foundation, in a telephone interview.

“For many years the government policy was to assimilate native people into mainstream society and essentially stamp out attributes of native culture,” he added. “It’s a testament to the tenacity of our people that we have any native cultures or religions left in the United States. We are seeing a remarkable cultural renaissance in the tribal communities. But the support of the arts has been almost nil. It’s been very difficult for Indian tribes to also support their own arts and cultures.”

The organization is to be based in Portland, Ore., and recently selected Tara Lulani Arquette, a Native Hawaiian, as its president and chief executive.

“In a sense, it’s part of our quest for self-determination and restoring our sovereignty,” Ms. Arquette said in an telephone interview.

The foundation, which will start with an annual operating budget of $500,000 and a staff of four, hopes to provide about $4 million in grants and program services over the next five years.

The organization’s leadership circle was made up of four advisers from different tribes — Mr. Echo-Hawk (Pawnee), Joy Harjo (Creek Muskogee), Jayne Fawcett (Mohegan) and Elizabeth Woody (Navajo/Warm Springs/Wasco/Yakama). All five members of the foundation’s board of directors are Native Americans.

The Ford Foundation made an initial $5 million contribution to endow the new foundation permanently, with an additional $5 million promised if new partners brought $3 million more to the table. The Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians, based near Sacramento, then made a grant of $1.5 million, while announcing a challenge to other tribal nations to match its gift. Once the challenge is met, Rumsey has promised an additional $1.5 million, which would bring the tribes’ contribution to $4.5 million.

W. Richard West Jr., the founding director emeritus of the Smithsonian’s American Indian Museum and a Ford trustee, said: “There need to be agencies and institutions that support native contemporary art and artists. For the most part, those agencies and institutions don’t exist.”

“We never separate art and life,” added Mr. West, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma. “Art is part of our everyday life.”

The foundation hopes to begin making grants at the end of this year or early next year, Mr. Echo-Hawk said.

It's worth noting that two of the four Native Americans in the leadership circle are writers who've judged the Wyoming Arts Council creative writing fellowships. They are Joy Harjo and Elizabeth Woody. Harjo has conducted several residencies on Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation.

Willie LeClair featured in Casper Trib article

Wyoming Arts Council roster artist Willie LeClair was featured in an Oct. 8 story in the Casper Star-Tribune. Willie is based in Riverton and conducts sessions on Native American dance traditions, history and spirituality. One of his presentations is “Astride Two Cultures: The Indian in the Cowboy and the Cowboy in the Indian.” This reflects his origins, which he describes on his web site:

Willie LeClair was born in Fort Washakie, Wyoming, the son of a Shoshone Indian rancher and a white mother. Drawn by his roots back to the Wind River Reservation, LeClair began to seek a spiritual path that at first involved only traditional dance. Then, more and more began to include study with Shoshone and Arapaho tribal elders as he sought to put his feet on the Red Road, the spiritual path of his ancestors. The search led to his participation in the holiest of Native American ceremonies, dancing the Sun Dance and completing six vision quests.

Here's the link to the Oct. 8 Star-Trib story:
www.trib.com/articles/2008/10/08/words_of_wisdom/doc48ed405c7407c433876364.txt

Bring Willie LeClair to your community through a WAC Arts Across Wyoming grant. For more info, go to wyoarts.state.wy.us

O'Gara and Trosper address water issues

The Teton County Public Library in Jackson presents "Wind River Water: Past and Present" on Thursday, Sept. 11, 7-8 p.m.

Lander author, journalist and television producer Geoffrey O’Gara will speak and show film clips and images about his book “What You See in Clear Water,” which chronicles the struggle over water rights on and around the Wind River Indian Reservation. James Trosper (shown in photo), Sun Dance chief of the Eastern Shoshone tribe, will join O’Gara to offer a unique perspective on Washakie’s contributions to the tribe’s water rights. Followed by a Q&A and book signing. The event is free and open to the public.

Co-presented by IC-21 and Teton County Public Library.

Contact: Adult Humanities Coordinator, 733-2164 ext. 135.

Artist & educator Reba Teran will teach Eastern Shoshone language class at UW

Eastern Shoshone is joining French and Japanese and Northern Arapaho on the long list of languages taught at the University of Wyoming.

Reba Teran, Shoshone language coordinator at the Eastern Shoshone Cultural Center in Fort Washakie on the Wind River Indian Reservation, will teach the class. It will meet during the first half of the fall 2008 semester on Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Teran, an enrolled Eastern Shoshone tribal member, has worked closely with three tribal elders since 2002 to compile a dictionary of the Eastern Shoshone language in both written and digital formats. The dictionary has more than 14,000 words. An audiobook is also available for the class.

"My work with the Eastern Shoshone language has made me fluent again," Teran says. "I dream in Shoshone now. It's a lively and vibrant language and I'm excited to have the opportunity to teach it at UW."

Shoshone was Teran's first language. At the age of six, she began elementary school and learned English. Teran left the Wind River Indian Reservation at age 14 to attend Flandreau Indian School in South Dakota and then earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Utah State University

Teran has participated twice in the Wyoming Art Council's Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Project, as both master and apprentice for traditional Shoshone arts. She specializes in beadwork and in saddle making.

For more information about language classes in Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, call the American Indian Studies Program at (307) 766-6521.

Flutist opens Native American Business Expo

Flutist Andrew Vasquez will perform at the opening reception for the eighth annual Native American Business Expo on Wednesday, April 23, 5:30-7 p.m. at the Pronghorn Lodge, 150 E. Main St. in Lander. Tickets for the Expo – which includes the reception – are $75 before April 9 and $90 after. The Expo events will be held on Thursday, April 24, at Wyoming Indian High School in Ethete.

Andrew is a member of Oklahoma's Apache Tribe but also considers Wyoming and the Dakotas as home. He’s married to Myra Weed, a member of the Shoshone tribe of Wyoming’s Wind River Reservation. Andrew was known primarily as a singer and dancer when he toured with the New York-based American Indian Dance Theatre. While on tour in the mid-1980s, he was introduced to the flute and began to fill in as a flutist for rehearsals. He began to develop his own style and, eventually, his own compositions.

For more on Andrew, go to http://www.geocities.com/redearthrecords/andrew_vasquez.htm

For registration info on the expo, go to http://www.wrdf.org/expo.php