Natchez Powwow

The 2023 Natchez Powwow is returning to its two-day weekend tradition. This year’s event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, March 25 and 26, on the north end of the Natchez Bluff near North Broadway and High streets, announced Dr. Charles Borum, who chairs the event. The cultural festival is free and open to the public.

The Natchez Powwow is an annual event that celebrates the culture of Native Americans. In addition to dance and music, it includes Native American food, arts, and crafts. The Natchez Powwow was started by Borum in 1988. In 2018, the Natchez Powwow was listed as one of the top 20 events of that year by the Southeast Tourism Society.

Visitors will hear songs that are up to 300 years old. They’ll also hear the sound of 20 men hitting the drum. The colorful, cultural regalia, which can cost over $1,000, is a popular feature.

This year’s program will feature Tim Tallchief, Osage Nation of Jones, Okla., who will serve as the master of ceremonies, and Darsh DeSilva of Round Rock, Texas, who will serve as arena director. The late Mike Shawnee, Quapaw Nation of Owasso, Okla., is listed on the program as “head singer southern drum” following a request by his friends, according to Borum. “His friends asked us to leave his name on the program,” Borum said. “They will honor him at the drum by fulfilling his obligation as head singer.”

Other participants include Stan Smith, Ponca Nation of Muskogee, Okla., as head man dancer; Kristal Glass, Quapaw Nation of Stillwater, Okla., as head lady dancer; and Jeffrey “Dude” Blalock, Absentee Shawnee-Peoria of Miami, Okla., as head gourd dancer.

Visitors are asked to bring their own lawn chairs. Alcoholic beverages will be prohibited in the powwow area, as well as the trader and food vending areas.

Saturday’s schedule

9 a.m. — Food and Craft and Farmer Market Vendors open

11 a.m. — Traditional Stickball Game

1 p.m. — Gourd Dance

2 :30 a.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing

4 p.m. — Camp Feed for Singers and Dancers and family/friends

6 p.m. — Gourd Dance

7 p.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing

9 p.m. — Closing

Sunday’s schedule

9 a.m. — Food and Craft Vendors open

1 p.m. — Gourd Dance

2:30 p.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing

For more information, visit https://www.natchezpowwow.com, or send email to Powwow Chairman Dr. Chuck Borum at cborum@hotmail.com.