The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will host its annual Wacipi (pow wow) from Friday, Aug. 14 through Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Pow Wow grounds on the reservation.

Each year, hundreds of dancers and singers from across the country gather at the Pow Wow grounds – located on Dakotah Parkway, just south of County Road 42 between county roads 83 and 17 – during the annual event held the third weekend in August.

The Wacipi is a social gathering where friends and relatives come together to celebrate Native American culture and way of life. The event is a homecoming of sorts – with many choosing to return every year – to enjoy the dancers in their regalia, the singers at the drum, good food, laughter and booths with arts and crafts for sale.

Grand Entries will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday; 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday; and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Fireworks will be held at 10 p.m. on Saturday, August 15, at the Pow Wow Grounds and a church service will be held on Sunday, August 16 at 10 a.m. at the Tiowakan Spiritual Center. During the Wacipi, traditional moccasin games will also be played by Native American teams.

The word Wacipi [wah-chee-pee] in the Dakota Language translates as “they dance.”

“We invite the public to attend our Pow Wow and see for themselves the beauty of our culture,” said SMSC Vice-Chairman Glynn A. Crooks, who is also the Chairman of the Pow Wow Committee. “We have hosted this event for many years and are happy to welcome guests.”

Host drums for the pow wow, will be Mazakute from Santee, Neb., and Wahpekute from Sisseton, S.D.

Invited drums are: Perfect Storm  and Dakota Hotain, both of Canada; Bad Nation of South Dakota, Meskwaki Nation of Iowa, War Scout of Utah, Yellowface of North Dakota, Smokey Town of Wisconsin, Sizzortai, Cozad and Black Bear Creek, all of Oklahoma. The alternate drum group will be Eastern Eagle of Canada.

Danny Seaboy, of the Sisseton Wahpeton/White Earth Ojibwe and Wallace Coffey, of Comanche, will serve as Masters of Ceremonies. In their duties, Seaboy and Coffey will explain to the crowd what is going on in the arena, as drum groups sing special songs for each style of dance.

In addition to Grand Entry Songs, a Flag Song and Veterans Song will be sung before intertribal and competition dancing begins each dance session.

Held outdoors in a traditional dance arena, the Pow Wow will feature Native American vendors with arts, crafts, beadwork, jewelry, quillwork and Native American foods for sale, including fry bread, wojapi (berry pudding), wild rice, hominy soup, buffalo burgers, Indian tacos and much more.

Admission is $5 for the entire weekend and includes an evening meal on Saturday and lunch on Sunday, as well as a commemorative button and program. Admission is free for children 10 years and under and for elders 60 and over.

For more information on the Wacipi, call (952) 445-8900 or visit www.shakopeedakota.org. For information about booths, call (952) 496-6176.