At While the numbers aren’t official in terms of overall attendance, tribal elder Wes Hansen said that he can’t remember a time that the Flandreau Santee Sioux Wacipi had as many dancers registered and people attending the Saturday night festivities as they did this year.
And he’s been a part of the FSST Pow wow since it began in 1962.
This past weekend’s festivities wrapped up Sunday afternoon with one last Grand Entry and an honoring ceremony for Ken James, (shown at upper right) who was celebrated for the work he’s done over the course of his career in law enforcement, including leading one of the only combined tribal and community police forces in the nation.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires was heavy in the air throughout the weekend, keeping temperatures in the low to mid-80’s. While the poor air quality made it tough on some to stay for long, others, like Micah Eagle Man and his family from Sioux Falls, lingered and camped over the course of the weekend as they look forward to the Wacipi each year.
“We love just that everybody gets together, has fun, makes new friends, meets old friends, we camp out here. It all just makes you feel good,” said Eagle Man.
Andrew Martinez of Flandreau, at 15-years-old, said that he’s been coming since he was little. “It’s fun, we like it. Just walk around, talk to friends, watch them dance,” he said.
“It’s really cool,” said Kingston Fallis, who was amongst the group of young friends taking in pow wow weekend.
Hansen said that that’s what the weekend is all about — a fun social gathering and he hopes more in the area will feel welcome to come each year. “I would just encourage people from the local community to come out and just see what’s happening, come have an Indian taco and just enjoy yourself.”

More pictures can be found on page 10 of the print edition of the Moody County Enterprise.