Shakopee, Minn. – Dancers of all ages will gather at the annual Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Wacipi (Pow Wow) from Friday, August 15, through Sunday, August 17, at the Wacipi Grounds on the SMSC reservation. A social gathering where friends and relatives celebrate their culture and way of life, the Wacipi is open to the public. The Dakota word “Wacipi” (pronounced “wah-chee-pee”) translates to “they dance.”

At the Wacipi, nearly 1,000 dancers from across the country are expected to compete against their peers in numerous categories. To add to this year’s competition, the Golden Age category for those ages 55 and older has been divided into two sub-categories for men and two sub-categories for women: Women’s Fancy/Jingle, Women’s Traditional/Southern Buckskin/Cloth, Men’s Fancy/Grass, and Men’s Traditional/Southern Straight.

Another change this year is that the Chicken Dance now is divided into two categories: Jr. Adult (18-34) and Sr. Adult (35-54). Also for the first time this year, youth royalty from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) will dance at the Wacipi. They have been selected to represent their Community and the Dakota culture at a Pow Wow earlier this year.

The Wacipi weekend will include:

-Grand entries of the veterans, flags, and dancers at 7 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday
-Fireworks at 10 p.m. on Saturday
-Moccasin games, which are traditional games of skill and chance in which the object is to find a small bead underneath one of four decorated “moccasins” that lay flat in a row amidst a number of distractions
-A church service at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the nearby Tiowakan Spiritual Center

The Wacipi will also feature vendors with arts, crafts, beadwork, jewelry, quillwork, and traditional foods for sale, including frybread, wojapi (berry pudding), wild rice, hominy soup, buffalo burgers, Indian tacos, and much more.

Wacipi buttons will be available for $5 at the gate. Buttons include admission for the entire weekend and a free meal served from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Admission, including the free Saturday evening meal, is free to everyone ages 60 and older and children ages 10 and under. Onsite parking is free.

Staff and drum groups announced

Community member Glynn A. Crooks has served as chairman of the Pow Wow Committee for more than 20 years. Host drums are Wahpekute (South Dakota) and Mazakute (Nebraska). Arena directors are Rusty Gillette (Arikara and Hidatsa) and Juaquin Hamilton (Sac and Fox). Emcees are Wallace Coffey (Comanche) and Danny Seaboy (Sisseton Wahpeton/White Earth). The moccasin games coordinator is David Flute (Sisseton Wahpeton).

The invited Northern and Southern drum groups are: Iron Boy (Minnesota), Fort Peck Sioux (Montana), Young Kingbird (Minnesota), Yellow Face (North Dakota), Meskwaki Nation (Iowa), Eagle Spirit (Washington), War Scout (Utah), Sizzortail (Oklahoma), Southern Style (Utah), and Yellow Spotted Horse (Oklahoma).

For more information

The SMSC Wacipi Grounds are located at 3212 Dakotah Parkway in Shakopee. For directions or more information, visit smscwacipi.org or facebook.com/shakopeepowwow, or call 952-445-8900.

Please note: Vendors and drums are by invitation only at the SMSC Wacipi.

About the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to charitable donations, community partnerships, a healthy environment, and a strong economy. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employer in Scott County. Out of a Dakota tradition to help others, the SMSC has donated nearly $300 million to organizations and causes since opening the Gaming Enterprise in the 1990s and has contributed millions more to regional governments and infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems, and emergency services.