Contest Powwow continues to gain in popularity

 

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

Rain threatened to force a move of this year’s Grand Ronde Contest Powwow to the Spirit Mountain Casino’s Event Center, but organizers decided to stay the course, a decision that paid off when, despite the forecast, the rain held off until after Friday evening’s grand entry.

The powwow, held Friday, Aug. 15 through Sunday, Aug. 17, at the uyxat Powwow Grounds, was the opposite of the Veterans Powwow the prior month, which was warm, hot and dry.

After the much-needed rainfall hit late Friday evening, it cleared away in time to allow Saturday’s grand entry to go forth unimpeded. Overcast skies and cooler temperatures were welcomed by participants.

The powwow was more popular than ever this year, with thousands of attendees and hundreds of dancers.

“We have about a hundred more dancers than we had last year, so that’s exciting,” Tribal Council member Lisa Leno said. “Also, we have a lot of people who have traveled a long way to be here in our community, so we’re just really filled with gratitude and excited about the rest of the weekend. We have people from Canada, we have people from New York, we have people from all over.”

Dancers filled the arena during the nearly 30-minute grand entry on Friday and Saturday, bells jingling as they danced, creating a glittering kaleidoscope of regalia, with fringes and feathers waving and shawls flaring as the dancers circled, stepping in time to the thundering drums. A few women danced with their babies in their arms, and a few walkers and wheelchairs enabled dancers with mobility challenges to participate. Dancing children waved excitedly to family members and friends as they passed by, and the tiniest children hopped their way around the arena, some holding on to a parent’s hand.

On Friday, Tribal Council members Brenda Tuomi, Denise Harvey, Matthew Haller, Tonya Gleason-Shepek, Lisa Leno and Tribal Council Secretary Jon A. George participated in grand entry. Tribal Council Vice Chair Chris Mercier provided opening remarks.

On Saturday, Mercier, Kathleen George, Tuomi, Harvey, Gleason-Shepek, Leno and Jon A. George participated in grand entry.

“I just always just love when our whole community and this space, is filled with Indian people, our people, our relatives and families from other places just coming and bringing their medicine and their singing, their dancing, their positive energy, the love, the laughter, getting reunited, you know, with family that you may not have not seen for a really long time, so it’s just a really good feeling to be here,” Leno said.

Peter Joe Olney (Yakama), gave the invocation on Friday evening. On Saturday, Dr. Orrenzo Snyder (Comanche), gave the invocation.

Midnite Express was the host drum. Invited drums were Southern Cree, Hay Creek Singers, Fort Peck Sioux, Iron Swing and Wankinyan Luta.

The invited drum groups competed for $30,000 in prize money, with the $10,000 top prize going to Fort Peck Sioux.

There was also a best-dressed drum competition Saturday evening, with prizes ranging from $200 to $500. The top prize went to Fort Peck Sioux as well.

During the royalty coronation Friday evening before grand entry, Three Tiny Tot Princesses were named this year: Kova Speer, Josie Craig and Briar Ashley.

Marie Quenelle was crowned Senior Miss Grand Ronde Queen.

Junior Miss Grand Ronde Queen went to Leloo Quenelle, while Emmalyn Warren was crowned Junior Miss Grand Ronde Princess.

Ulali Quenelle was crowned Little Miss Grand Ronde Queen and Safia Ben El Aali was crowned Little Miss Grand Ronde Princess.

Howie Thompson (Assiniboine) and Marty Thurman (Sac and Fox Nation/Comache Nation/Absentee-Shawnee Tribe and Delaware Nation) shared emcee duties. Anthony Quenelle (Grand Ronde) was the arena director.

Opie Day (Anishinaabe) was head drum judge; head dance judge was Tavian Lasley (Meskwaki/Ojibway).

In the shelters behind the arena, Quetzaly Barrera’s mother was helping her put the finishing touches on her regalia for the dancing on Saturday. Descended from both the Apache and Chichimeca people of Mexico, Barrera, who lives in Oregon, was dancing at the Grand Ronde Contest Powwow for the first time, representing her Chichimeca ancestry.

A jingle dress dancer, Barrera said she was enjoying the powwow.

“I like it a lot; I love dancing,” she said.

Dancers participate in an InterTribal dance during the 2025 Grand Ronde Contest Powwow at uyxat Powwow Grounds Saturday, Aug. 16. (Photos by Michelle Alaimo)

Celeste Nunes (Yupiit) said she travels to the powwow from central Oregon every year. A women’s traditional dancer, Nunes said her favorite part of powwow is “probably my friends and family. Sometimes you only see them at powwow; people are here from Canada and Arizona. I hope everybody has a great time and (that we) see everybody next year.”

More than $48,000 in prize money was danced for and prizes ranged from $25 to $1,000.

Grand Ronde winners were Ulali Quenelle, fifth in the junior girls fancy; Nacoma Liebelt, third in teen boys traditional and Leah Brisbois, fourth in senior womens traditional.

Dance specials this year included ermine bonnet teen & boys traditional; mens grass dance for 18 and older and womens old-style jingle for 18 and older, with prizes totaling $6,000.

More information on the winners can be found in the sidebar to this story.

In the vendor area, Tribal Elder Evelyn Seidel and her daughter, Tribal member Lori Warren King, were sharing a booth with their friend Linda Lofton, offering necklaces, earrings, homemade jam and other items.

“I’ve always loved arts and crafts,” Lofton said. “When my husband was with me, he loved to do the antlers, so he carved on them. So, I did the jewelry part.”

She said today she still uses antlers in her work, making veterans’ pendants, for example.

Seidel, who has always done a lot of canning, enjoys offering her fruit and berry jams for sale, along with blankets and beaded necklaces. King makes beaded earrings, necklaces and other jewelry.

“My mom always canned; that’s how we lived,” Seidel said. “I’m the youngest of 11 children. We had to can.”

She gardened as well, until moving to a 55-and-older community. Now, she grows flowers but is still producing her blue huckleberry, blackcap and Oregon grape jams, along with more domestic varieties.

Sisters and Tribal members Kayla Gottfried and Kara Helsel were selling Helsel’s intricate beadwork and Gottfried’s leatherwork together for a second year.

“We just wanted to come back and be a part of powwow,” Gottfried said. “It’s been a really great trip.”

Gottfried said she began making moccasins several years ago.

“I had a nephew born at 11 pounds, and his feet were so fat, he couldn’t wear shoes … I was like, ‘This kid needs moccasins,’” she recalled, laughing.

So, she made some for him, and today she sells baby moccasins, jackets, day packs and other items, alongside her sister’s necklaces and earrings.

Helsel said she began beading “about a year ago and fell in love with it.”

In the food court, vendors offered coffee, fry bread, yakisoba noodles, fried rice, teriyaki chicken, Indian tacos, lemonade and other treats.

Tribal Recreation Coordinator Leo Ayala organized the annual 3-on-3 Contest Powwow Basketball Tournament and said it was “amazing.”

“The vibes were high all day and the weather was perfect,” Ayala said in an email. “Started off a little cloudy early in the morning until the clouds burned off and had sunshine the remainder of the day. This year was our biggest tournament yet with 85 teams within nine divisions (10U coed, 12U boys, 12U girls, 14U boys, 14U girls, 17U boys, 17U girls, men’s open, women’s open). The age went from as young as 7 years old up to adults.”

He added, “We had an amazing turnout with awesome prizes, a 3-point contest, food vendors and a DJ. It was a hybrid style tournament with four outdoor courts and two courts inside the gym. It was a one-day tournament, three game minimum with the first games starting at 8 a.m. with the final matchup starting at 9:30 p.m. Overall, everyone had a great time and (we) heard lots of positive feedback.”

Tribal Council member Matthew Haller noted that “One of the Grand Ronde teams took first place.”