Vietnam era veterans will receive special recognition at The Veterans of the Menominee Nation’s 27th annual Gathering of Warriors Powwow from May 19-22 at the Woodland Bowl in Keshena.
Veterans from all branches of military service are invited to attend a weekend of special ceremonies to honor all veterans, make new and enjoy old friendships, and visit the vendor craft and food stands on the powwow grounds.
On May 19, VMN and the Menominee Tribal Clinic will sponsor a run/walk at Veterans Park in downtown Keshena. Registration begins at 5 p.m. Participant prizes and awards will be given. Refreshments will be served.
The opening ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. May 20 with a prayer and other ceremonial activities followed by the raising of 21 family flags of deceased Menominee veterans at the base of the Woodland Bowl. The family flags, along with Big John and a large POW/MIA flag, will be flown throughout the weekend powwow. Big John is a large American flag that was presented to John Hawpetoss after 30 years of service in the Navy. It is currently in possession of his sister, Nell Lee Hawpetoss.
Following the opening ceremony, special VMN red jackets will be awarded to outstanding community members for their service to the Menominee community.
The evening will end with performances by several local musical groups.
May 21 is Armed Forces Day. Powwow activities begin with a grand entry at 1 p.m. Honor guard units from several Wisconsin tribal communities will participate, along with honor guard units from Upper Michigan, Washington State, Illinois, South Dakota, Arizona and Minnesota.
Afternoon activities include special dances, a powwow princess contest and other presentations. Another grand entry will be held at 7 p.m. May 21.
A highlight of the evening is the retiring of the colors when the flags are taken out of the Woodland Bowl with the Veterans Snake Dance. The veterans carry the flags in single file, similar to a combat patrol, with other veterans firing rifles until all the flags have returned to base.
The rest of the evening program features exhibition dances and other honor dances requested by families to honor their veterans and community members.
A grand entry at noon opens the May 22 festivities, which includes ceremonies honoring for all Vietnam Era veterans. The honoring ceremony features a drum group singing songs recognizing each branch of the military; veterans dance to the song of their respective branch of service.
The afternoon activities include a table ceremony by Rolling Thunder Chapter 3 from Green Bay to honor and to remind people of our POW/MIAs. The powwow concludes with a raffle drawing.
Each powwow grand entry will be led by a male and female veterans in their traditional dance regalia followed by the honor guards units, powwow royalty and all the dancers. Two veterans serve as the master of ceremonies. The host drum and other invited drums provide the dancers with powwow songs for their dancing.
All veterans, veteran honor guard units, elders 55 years of age and older, and children under 5 years are admitted free. Weekend buttons are $8 each; single day passes are $5 each.
For powwow information, call Jamie Awonohopay at 715-851-0755, Wes Martin at 715-851-4748 or Andy Boivin at 715-851-2127.
For vendor information, call Paul Swett at 715-799-4014 or 715-508-1942.