YAKIMA, Wash.- Legends Casino is hosting its annual Pow Wow and Stick Game Tournament at the Yakima SunDome.
The pow wow began May 17 with the first grand entry of the week and continued on Saturday with hundreds of dancers in regalia.
“We have the flags come in, the Yakama Nation Warriors bring in the flags,” says the pow wow’s Co-Chair Diedre Fojuwaye. “All our veterans are there right up front and center. The dancers come in and it’s full of color. It’s just this bright, wonderful, colorful part of the pow wow.”
On Saturday, the public address announcer announced that thousands of people watched the livestream of the pow wow, with viewers from over 40 different countries.
That’s no surprise to the organizers, as people show up to the pow wow from all across the region to celebrate the culture.
“We bring people from all the way over in North Dakota, Oklahoma, California, Canada; Of course, Washington, Oregon and Idaho,” says Fojuwaye. “This is us bringing people together, sharing our culture, lots of laughs, lots of kids running around, lots of smiles. It’s a wonderful event.”
For many, a highlight of the weekend is the Stick Game Tournament. Stick Games are a tribal gambling game, that originally rewarded winners with goods.
The goal of the game is to find the bone, often hidden in hands or under scarves, until all the sticks are collected.
“So, you get ten sticks each,” says Co-Chair John Gaspard. “You have people who are guessing, and you have pointers and then everybody guesses and points different.”
Gaspard doesn’t participate in stick games himself, but he says it’s a tradition at most tribal celebrations.
“The kids were able to play, and they would mimic a lot of things,” says Gaspard. “They would have their own teams set up on the side and trying to see how the adults were doing it.”
Everyone is invited to join the pow wow and watch the stick games, even if you’re not from Native American culture.
“We are inviting you here so that we can share our culture,” says Fojuwaye. “So, if we’re willing to share our culture, we’re willing to answer the questions that you have. It’s about being open minded, welcoming people in and sharing everything that we have.”
Both Fojuwaye and Gaspard emphasized that they are willing to answer any questions about the culture, and so is anyone wearing a blue Legends Casino shirt.
They say seeing people across the valley participate in the pow wows is great to see as it shows the willingness to learn about different cultures.
“It’s nice to see, you know, people taking the time out to try and understand the people of the valley, the original people here,” says Gaspard.
The Stick Game Tournament continues on Sunday May 19 with the kid’s tournament and more traditional games starting at 1 p.m. at the SunDome.
