HOPKINS, Mich. — Powwow dancers from Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi) nations in the United States and Canada entered the dance arena for Friday night’s Grand Entry of the 2025 Pottawatomi Gathering’s powwow at Jijak Camp, owned by the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Potawatomi, commonly known as the Gun Lake Tribe.
On Monday, July 28, the Gun Lake Tribe kicked off its week‑long 2025 Pottawatomi Gathering with a two‑day language conference held Monday and Tuesday, July 28–29, at Hopkins Middle School and Jijak Camp in Michigan.
On Friday evening, August 1, the powwow’s Grand Entry at Camp Jijak unfolded. Hundreds of dancers—gleaming regalia filling the arena—entered during a procession that lasted approximately 45 minutes. Military veterans from multiple conflicts carried eagle staffs and tribal flags, representing Potawatomi nations across the U.S. and Canada. Among them was a veteran who identified himself as a survivor of the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation.
Earlier on Friday, various Potawatomi tribes showcased their tribal business enterprises and held a econmic summit at the Gun Lake Casino Resort.
Editor’s Note: All photos by Levi Rickert.
