"As I walked in the damp grass of the powwow grounds at the United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck last weekend, I couldn’t believe how much the event had grown. My nose tingled with smell of frying bread, popcorn, french fries and that woodsy aroma of the great outdoors.

I tried to look across the sea of faces for friends and still find an Indian-taco stand for my demanding tummy. There were people hawking things from Mexico and India as well as foods from Bismarck restaurants, although most of the stands had American Indian crafts and foods.

More than 4,000 people attended, I’ve heard.

There was chill in the air, and I pulled my warm-up closer as I made my way around the grounds. I stopped again and again to talk and laugh with old friends and relatives.

After my tour, I sat in the grandstand by the big, open circle in the middle of the college campus. The announcer’s box on the arena’s west side had been remodeled this year by the students, and it looked good. The arena was built by students many years ago and was expanded about eight years ago.

One of the big events of a powwow is the traditional “grand entry,” a roundup of all the dancers as well as flag bearers, special guests and tribal royalty. (Tribal royalty are young women selected from each tribe to represent that tribe in events such as this powwow.)

The many flags in the circle represented organizations, tribal nations, the U.S. and so on. Some of the traditional flags are staffs with eagle feathers.

The flags were posted, and the dancing began."

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COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: Jingle dresses, fancy dancers and fry bread (The Grand Forks Herald 9/10)
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