NATCHEZ, Miss. — The 2025 Natchez Powwow will be a weekend of Native American culture brimming with great music, food, and exciting entertainment on the Natchez Bluff, said Natchez Powwow Chairman Dr. Chuck Borum.
The event is set for Saturday and Sunday, March 29 and 30, at 319 N. Broadway Street.
“We will have people coming in from all across Mississippi, Oklahoma, and many other states,” Borum said. “Everybody, including local residents and visitors, look forward to this annual tradition where they can have great family entertainment while learning and participating in Native American culture.”
The Natchez Powwow is a celebration of Native American culture. It was started by Borum in 1988. The event is free and open to the public. Food, including Native American arts and crafts, t-shirts, and other items, will be available for purchase throughout the weekend.
The powwow typically includes Native American dance, traditional songs that are hundreds of years old, and the thunderous sound of drums being played by 20 men, said Borum.
The tribal regalia is colorful and eye-catching, and the dancing holds the audience’s attention, Borum said. Even more, he added, the participants often engage the audience by inviting them to join them in some of the dances.
During the 2024 Natchez Powwow, Mayor Dan Gibson presented Borum with a Certificate of Appreciation. Gibson, on behalf of the City of Natchez, said Borum was being honored for his “many years of passionate and unwavering leadership and support for this great event which means so much to our city.”
“We’re so grateful to Dr. Chuck Borum for bringing this event to life now 36 years ago,” Gibson said. “It is such a great event for Natchez, but it’s such a great event for Mississippi and for the whole region and for our whole country.”
Gibson said it is important that the history of the Native Americans – and how they were treated — not be forgotten. “And we must today forever be grateful that we now can come together as one … to celebrate the Natchez Powwow,” he said.
Natchez’s David Kelley and his family are members of the Osage Nation. Kelley said he and his family are looking forward to this year’s powwow. “It seems that everyone is starting to acclimate to the new location on the bluff,” he said. “We have experienced a growing attendance over the last couple years. So, we look to have an awesome powwow weekend full of great singing and dancing.”
Powwow event schedule
This year’s program will feature Frank Carson, Otoe-Pawnee of Stillwater, Oklahoma, as the Master of Ceremonies.
Other participants will include Darsh DeSilva of Round Rock, Texas, as the Arena Director; George Valliere, Shawnee-Quapaw-Cherokee of Claremore, Oklahoma, as Head Singer Southern Drum; Andrew Idalski, Otoe Missouria of Lucas, Texas, as Head Man Dancer; Emily Smith, Ponca, of Ponca City, Oklahoma, as Head Lady Dancer; and Ronald Scheuermann, Gulf Coast Tia Piah of Marrero, Louisiana, as Head Gourd Dancer.
Saturday March 29, 2025
9 a.m. — Food and Craft and Farmer Market Vendors open
1 p.m. — Gourd Dance
2:30 p.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing
4 p.m. — Camp Feed for Singers and Dancers and family/friends
6 p.m. — Gourd Dance
7 p.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing
9 p.m. – Closing
Sunday March 30, 2025
9 a.m. — Food and Craft Vendors open
1 p.m. — Gourd Dance
2:30 p.m. — Grand Entry and Intertribal Dancing
Spectators bring your lawn chairs
Borum said alcoholic beverages will not be allowed in the powwow area or in the areas used by the traders and food vendors. Although some people may choose to stand for certain parts of the day’s event, those attending are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs, he said. The dancers may use the benches that surround the powwow area.
According to the Natchez Powwow website, a traditional camp feed will be provided at 5 p.m. Saturday for the participants in the powwow, which include all of the singers, head staff, dancers, friends and family. This meal will be prepared by the Atkins and Tsosie family in memory of Vernon Atkins and other friends and family who have died.
As in previous years, outdoor camping will not be available at the powwow site on the Bluff. However, camping in tents, campers, and RVs will be available at the River View RV Park at 100 River View Parkway, Vidalia.
For more information, visit https://www.natchezpowwow.com, or send email to Powwow Chairman Dr. Chuck Borum at cborum@hotmail.com.
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