Shoshone-Paiute Tribe hosts annual pow-wow celebration for Gunfighters

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Samantha Crane
  • 366th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Office
MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho --  Approximately 30 members of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribal Dance Group, including Tribal Chairman Kyle Prior, visited the base to share their culture with Gunfighters at the Youth Center here Jan. 25.

After Col. James Browne, 366th Fighter Wing commander, welcomed the group, Ted Howard, the tribe's cultural advisor, briefly described the tribe's rich history.

The Duck Valley Indian Reservation, which straddles the border of Idaho and Nevada, was established in 1866. Now encompassing more than 450 square miles, all the land belongs to the tribe.

Though the tribe faced many challenges, including the banning of their religion in the late 1800s, their culture was never lost.

The dance group performed a dozen traditional dances including the Victory Song, which honored freedom and those who lost their lives to attain it; the Jingle Dance, used to heal the sick; and the Traditional Dance, performed by women to bless mother earth and the dancer's families.

"These dances are traditions and cultures from ceremonies that have gone on for thousands of years," Mr. Howard said. "The people that we have here today are a living culture. We have songs for everything - songs to greet the sun in the morning, songs in the spring to help the plants."

After the dance group shared a dozen traditional songs and dances, they performed three dances that invited audience members to join in.

The Snowball Dance started with a small group of dancers in the center who chose partners from the audience to join in. As the dance went on, the crowd grew, creating a snowball effect.

After the last song, Gunfighters and tribe members thanked each other for their participation. As it is an annual presentation, they will be back next year to share their culture with a new group of Gunfighters.

"We'll see you next year," tribal members said as the ceremony ended.