Denver March Powwow returns with great importance after two COVID-related cancellations
DENVER — After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Denver March Powwow returned to the Denver Coliseum last weekend for three days of cultural celebrations.
Lawrence Baker, who served as the master of ceremonies for the powwow, said it was “something so much more than Facebook and social media can give you because we’re not trying to tell a story. This is a story of us, this isn’t a made-up version of us. This is us.”
Baker is an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes. He is also the grandson of the Denver March Powwow’s first announcer, Paige Baker, Sr.
The Denver March Powwow described the modern powwow "is a gathering, a social occasion, and a time for Indian peoples to come together to sing and dance, and to honor the heritage that has been passed down to them from their ancestors."
Baker said about 1,500 dancers were in attendance, as well as dozens of drum groups. The performers traveled across the country to come to the event, which celebrated its 46th year.
Baker said he was so proud to see so many young people participating in the powwow. “We could have lost you doing other stuff,” he said about the youth.
At the end of the day, that is what Baker thinks celebrations like the Denver March Powwow are all about: passing traditions on to younger generations. He said that original committee members are now teaching their grandchildren the traditions and importance of the event.
“We want to perpetuate what our ancestors did,” Baker said, “... and we’re trying to teach that to the next generation and the next generation and the next generation.”
Lindsey Ford is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at lindseyford@rmpbs.org.
Even though Baker said the prize money for the powwow — one of the largest in the country — is just “all right,” people still came in droves because they were excited about participating in the powwow after two years off.
“I think it’s more about coming together as a family [and] getting to see other people,” Baker said. “You know, I haven’t been here … because of the pandemic for a couple of years. And I see these juniors who are now teens, I’ve seen these teens that are beautiful young women and men. New outfits, I’m like wow!”