Wacipi 2024: A time to reconnect, dance and reflect

CATHY WURZER: We're continuing our focus on summer festivals. One this weekend in Shakopee will include sounds like this.

[NATIVE AMERICAN DRUMMING AND SINGING]

[INAUDIBLE] Sioux wacipi, or powwow, which is a traditional Native American gathering. It's a time for renewing friendships, dancing, singing, eating, and celebrating, and it draws thousands of people from all over the country. It's free and open to the public, and it kicks off Friday. Cole Miller is the chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. He's here to explain what to expect during this huge celebration. Mr. Chairman, it's an honor. Welcome.

COLE MILLER: Thank you, Cathy. I'm happy to be here. Glad you gave us some time today.

CATHY WURZER: Thanks. Say, tell me about the word wacipi in Dakota. What does it mean?

COLE MILLER: So everybody is familiar with the word, the term powwow, where wacipi is actually our Dakota language that literally translates to they dance. So where generically you would hear that there's a powwow, for us, it's us bringing it back even further to home and closer to our culture. And that's what we would traditionally call it, is wacipi.

CATHY WURZER: OK. So I know that the big event is the Grand Entry, a big part of the event is the Grand Entry, and it happens several times throughout the weekend. Tell folks what happens at that point.

COLE MILLER: Yeah. So that's basically the way we kick off the event each day. So Friday night, Grand Entry will start. And we always start with making sure to bring in our elders, our veterans, and they always bring in-- some, they'll bring in a United States flag, they'll bring in some of their family eagle staffs. And it's really a way to just honor those dignitaries, bring them in.

And then after that, every dancer that's going to be competing throughout the weekend, they will come and fill the arena, and it really is something to see. You'll hear from all of our drum groups that will be here. They'll go around and they'll each sing a song. And to see that arena full of 1,000-plus dancers really is special. All of their regalia is unique to them, whether it's tribal or even personally. So it really is something special to see.

And we'll have one on Friday night, two of them on Saturday, one in the afternoon, one in the evening. And then we'll have another one on Sunday. And really, that's a highlight for me. Just to stand there and see a bunch of Native Americans all getting together to practice their culture and celebrate a bit is really something special.

CATHY WURZER: Now, as chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux, you'll dance too, right?

COLE MILLER: Some of us do, some of us don't. I'll have to do a couple of welcomes, so I'll be there to speak and say hi to people, but usually at our wacipi, I won't dance. I haven't danced for a few years now. Been a little busy with this whole Business Council thing. But you will see plenty of our tribal members out there dancing, and people from all over Indian country.

CATHY WURZER: And the food is great, by the way.

COLE MILLER: The food is-- that's another highlight. It's really awesome to see some of these community elders that come together, and they'll put a feed together and give everybody free food. Or some of them, we have our craft and food vendors that will be there, selling Indian tacos and all the way down to-- we got a tribal elder, he's big on his lemonade. So he's going to have his lemons set up, and I like to sell lemonade to everybody at the wacipi.

CATHY WURZER: [LAUGHS] Oh my goodness. I also know you have some games. Now, what are moccasin games? How do you play?

COLE MILLER: So moccasin games, I mean, our people have been playing it for hundreds of years. It's really, I'd say, exclusive to this region. The Dakota people along with Ojibwe people have been playing this for hundreds of years, like I say. We'll have a big tent set up for that with some tournaments going, and I would encourage anybody that's coming out to check out the wacipi for their first time to make their way towards the moccasin games to see.

You'll see teams made up of some elders that have been-- and you'll hear songs. They have special songs that they sing there. I mean, there's a really wide array of people that play it, and I'd really encourage people to go down and check it out. Like I say, it's hundreds of years old. Our people have been doing it for a long time, and some of these songs that they're singing there, while the games are going on, they've been circulated and passed down from generations. So that's another great part of our event as well.

CATHY WURZER: And thanks for saying there's so many generations there at the wacipi. I love watching the littlest kids. They're just the best, and they just seem to just love everything that happens at that event. Would you agree?

COLE MILLER: Oh, yeah. That's our tiny tot category, we call it, and that's usually about six years old and under. And to see them out there dancing with their mom and dad or their brothers and sisters, it's just true, true joy, as with anything with kids. So the tiny tots, they get to dance throughout the weekend as well, and they're always fun.

CATHY WURZER: Now, before you go, what are you most excited about for this weekend? What's your favorite part?

COLE MILLER: Well, for me, I was previously on our wacipi committee here with the community, and you really make some connections. And a lot of our members, they even go out on the powwow trail and they'll be hitting wacipis and powwows all throughout the country throughout the entire summer, and even in the winter to some indoor ones. But really, when you go walk up, and you hear the music playing-- it's traditional music. Some of it's got a contemporary spin to it. But to see that and see everybody, it's almost like a big family reunion, everybody back together.

And our wacipi, we've always held it here at the end of August, and it kind of is the end-of-the-year celebration for a lot of people. If they're coming from even Montana, South Dakota, California, they'll come here and they'll hit the Mall of America up and they'll go and do their school clothes shopping. And when we're done with ours, we always know that school is just around the corner.

So there's just a really good family feel, and so I really encourage everybody to come out, come check it out. Like you said earlier, it is free. But come experience some culture, embrace it a bit, eat some of the food, and meet some people. If you've never been to one, it really is life-changing. So I'd really encourage people to come out and see us.

CATHY WURZER: I have to say, I enjoyed it when I've been out there, especially at your gathering. It's so much fun. And I love the regalia. I had a good friend who would dance. She had a beautiful jingle dress. Oh my goodness. It was so much fun to watch.

COLE MILLER: Yep. And a lot of those, I mean, most people don't realize that the dancers themselves, they're making that regalia, or their family is. It's things that are handed down, and the regalia is just mind-blowing if you've never seen it. It is really-- it really is.

CATHY WURZER: It's stunning. Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you. Have a great weekend. I appreciate your time.

COLE MILLER: Yeah, Cathy. I appreciate you, and hope to see everybody come out to our wacipi.

CATHY WURZER: Absolutely. That's Cole Miller, the chairman of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community.