The Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe Wacipi drew 566 registered dancers, 29 registered drums plus the host drum Northern Cree, a grammy nominated group from Canada. More than 3,000 spectators attended the weekend event, which had 25 vendors. The powwow is believed to be the largest in recent memory for Flandreau, organizers said.
The Grand Entry of the 2018 Wacipi is seen here from a new angle. The FSST Drone Team was active at the event and gave us a “bird’s eye view” of the pow wow grounds located along the Big Sioux River, north of Flandreau. The crowd most likely enjoyed unusually comfortable weather for the 56th annual, three-day event. Highs topped out on Saturday at only 76 degrees – when 90 degrees would be more typical. Heavy rains that fell north of our area made water levels in the river just slightly higher than bank full but it didn’t interfere with the annual gathering.
