Chris Jaehing/Daily Mining Gazette Members of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and other friends and family from out of state gathered in Baraga Saturday for the Pow Wow.

BARAGA — After a year hiatus forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Pow Wow came back in full force for a 43rd year, taking place at the Ojibwa Recreation Area, Friday through Sunday.

Hundreds of people gathered together over the course of three days for traditional dances, culinary delicacies, and vendors.

Finding a parking space Saturday afternoon for any attendee was a scavenger hunt in itself, with people coming from all over the northern Midwest, mostly Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.

Once parking could be found, a short walk to the central grounds brought the sound of deep drums and the smell of fry bread before any sights could actually be seen.

Vehicles and tents of vendors, dancers, and performers were scattered throughout the grounds on the approach to the great dance circle in the center of the grounds.

Throngs of onlookers watched Native dancers of all ages in colorful regalia dancing in traditional steps to music played live by drum circles who came from all over the upper Midwest for this surreal event.

Closest to the dance circle were vendors selling Native food delicacies such as fry bread, Indian Pizza and Indian Tacos.

Further down the paved walk were over a dozen vendors selling tee-shirts, hoodies, hats, blankets, and hand-crafted goods like traditional bracelets, chokers, rattles, and medicinal items like sage bundles and incense, and regalia supplies.

At the dance circle, people of all ages from toddlers to the elderly danced together. Some wore ornate shawls, dancers known as Jingle dancers wore detailed dresses with metal cones and small bells to give them that signature sound as they walked, let alone as they fluidly moved around the dancing space.

Dancers wore elaborate beadwork on vests, dresses, and headbands. Men wore eye-catching feathered headpieces, chest plates made with bone, and a few carried ceremonial pipes and wooden war clubs. Each dress and regalia was unique, no two participants looked the same.

Other than open dances, the event coordinator hosted games for the children, like a feather dance. Children formed a line, and one by one, would dance around a feather stuck in the ground by its tip, and while dancing, had to pluck it from the ground without using their hands to win a $5 prize, like bobbing for apples but involving very educated feet and rhythm.

Anyone who risked the hot temperature and beating sun to make it to the 43rd Annual KBIC Pow Wow was treated to a truly unique, family friendly event that highlights a beautiful culture found nowhere else in the world.