This post has been moved to OpenChutes.com. All future postings of Powwows, Indian Relay Races, Rodeos and Rendezvous will be posted there from now on exclusively. So if you’re looking for new images and posts for all those events attended this year, plus all the old posts posted on BigShotsNow.com check out OpenChutes.com. See you there!

The North American Indian Days is an annual event held on the Blackfeet Indian reservation usually in July and is billed as one of the biggest tribal get-togethers in North America. They say North American instead of the Unites States because some of the participants are from tribes that live in Canada. It lasts for about a week, four days according to the advertisements, but everybody’s there early and leaves late so plan on at least five or six days if you want the full experience.

The largest events by far are the dance contests and they take place daily. Everyone dresses in their finest and since this is a contest where you can win money for how well you dance, they really put  their hearts into it. They would really put their hearts into it if there were no cash prizes because pride and the call of tradition is even more important than the money, as you can see on their faces while they are performing.

The following images are a small selection of the dancers and activities in the contests. They were chosen to show the variety of the costumes, from the more traditional to the fantastic regalia of the Fancy dancers.

Everything starts when the dancers begin to enter the arena. Men’s dancers are the first to enter.

They’re followed by another men’s category composed of slightly younger men. This continues until all the dancing categories are in the arena.

From the youngest dancers

To the elders

Groups form

Elders watch from the sidelines before they dance

The contestants dance the circle

Fancy dancers display their abilities

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Individuals begin to break off and dance on their own

Each showing their interpretation of the dance

From the more traditional

To the swirling colors of the Fancy dancers

Regalia of every type imaginable is on display

A Fancy dancer shows his skill

A traditional dancer shows his

Every piece of the regalia has meaning

Mixing of older and newer elements is part of the style the dancers choose, it reflects tradition as well as their own personality. It is a very personal choice.

Dancing requires focus and determination and stamina

Many hours have gone into the creation of the various parts of their outfit and it shows.

There were hundreds of dancers competing, each vying to win their category, but the most important thing for them was to display their pride in their heritage, their traditions, and their sense of place as modern members of an ancient tribe. That part was effortless. Their every movement displayed the intensity of being a member of their tribe and showing the world that they hadn’t forgotten their old ways. The dancing celebrated this and win, lose or draw their participation was their biggest accomplishment. They were all winners.