Photo by Rocky Ross
EDDIE BUTLER MANS THE GRILLS DURING THE SALMON BAKE SEPT. 1.
Large crowds gathered at Chief Leschi School Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 to celebrate tradition and culture during the 28th annual Puyallup Tribal Pow Wow.
Sheila (Dillon) Beckett was involved in overseeing the competition for the two princess and two warrior classifications. This competition is special to her, as she served two terms as Junior Princess, which is for girls aged 5-14, and two terms as Senior Princess, for young women aged 15-21. Sheila Beckett was also there to watch her 4-year-old daughter perform in jingle dress dancing.
“It’s great that people still do this, that they don’t think they are ‘too cool’ to participate,” she remarked. She was especially pleased by the large number of youth participating in the pow wow.
She noted that KING 5, a Seattle television station, sent a news crew out to Chief Leschi Sept. 1 to film a segment for their newscast.
Sheila Beckett pointed out that many non-Natives attended the event. Some came out for the salmon bake Sept. 1, and many browsed the arts and crafts booths and observed the traditional dancing. Soccer games took place during the weekend at fields adjacent to Chief Leschi, and many of the young players and their parents came over to watch the dancing.
Some of the non-Natives asked questions about the dancing to learn more about the cultural significance of the event, Sheila Beckett added.
Tribal Council Chairman Herman Dillon, Sr. was on hand to welcome members of tribes from around the Northwest, Canada and the Southwest who came to Chief Leschi to participate in the pow wow.
“I have seen a lot of people I have not seen in awhile,” he commented.
Herman Dillon, Sr. noted the money prizes awarded at this pow wow are not as large as at some other events, but that didn’t deter the many dancers. “As you can see, they are all enjoying themselves.”
He is proud of his son Julian Dillon, who was crowned Senior Warrior for the third year in a row.
Judy Wright, the Tribe’s historian, attends the event every year. “It keeps getting bigger and better each year,” she remarked. “It is good to see how many young people are here. I have been enjoying everything.”
Julian Dillon retained the title of Senior Warrior, facing no competition this year. Joshua Earl is this year’s Junior Warrior and Jasmine Marion is Junior Princess.
