By Mia Gallegos | FāVS News Reporter
Northern Quest Casino is marking Native American Heritage Month with a series of cultural events throughout November, including a fashion show, dance championships and performances by indigenous artists and chefs.
The Airway Heights casino has expanded its celebration significantly since 2019, when it hosted its first Chicken Dance Championship, a type of powwow dance competition.
Alec Bluff, a member of and cultural representative for the Kalispel Tribe and member of the planning committee, explained that the casino’s celebration of Native American Heritage Month has been aggregating for several years before reaching where it is today.
“In 2019 we held a Chicken Dance Championship, which is a type of powwow dance,” Bluff said. After the 2019 competition — and a brief pause from any events with the pandemic in swing the following year — a conversation began about what more could be incorporated into this celebration for the month.
“We were pretty fortunate to have that first event snowball into what it is today,” Bluff said. “We have continued the dance championships, but we also have a heritage dinner, fashion show, native music and native artists. We have really incorporated everything that you see today in (its) third year.”
The festivities began this past weekend with the Heritage Dinner, an event where guests were able to indulge in some indigenous eats from Chefs Lynn Hawthorne and Tyler Leonard. Tony Louie from the Colville Tribe also put on a performance for the opening night of the month.
How the celebration grew
Thea George-Garcia (Colville), the Resort Experience Cultural Project supervisor for Northern Quest, explained that some of her favorite events from the whole month take place on the second weekend in November.
The weekend of Nov. 7-9 encompasses the “Walk With Pride” Fashion Show, Dance Championships and Native Jam. George-Garcia spoke about the planning that takes place for “Walk With Pride” and how it all comes together in just one day.
“We have all of our designers picked out in advance but all the models are casted that morning,” George-Garcia said. “Lot’s of the designers fly in for only a couple days so it all has to come together quickly.”
Several speakers are lined up for the fashion show, including the Kalispel Tribal Royalty. It’s a long day for the event organizers, George-Garcia said, but a fun one.
‘Era of Native American Progression’
Bluff feels that events like these in Spokane are crucial in fostering a culture of education and acceptance between Native American people and their non-indigenous neighbors.
“I hope people see this time as a time to reflect and see other people’s truths and what they have to share,” Bluff said. “But ultimately, it is a time to reflect on the contributions of all indigenous peoples across the states.”
George-Garcia agreed with this sentiment, and shared her desire for the variety of these events to bring in a diverse crowd of participants.
“We have always had our ceremonies and powwows, but adding in different events that the public is able to enjoy is really meaningful in bringing awareness to our native culture,” George-Garcia said. “We can all come together and celebrate indigenous excellence.”
Bluff believes that today will be looked at as a pivotal moment in time for indigenous people in America. He hopes to contribute to this era in a positive way by encouraging participation in events like the ones at Northern Quest.
“We are in a time which one day will be in a history book called the ‘Era of Native American Progression,’” Bluff said. “We are going through it right now, we are trailblazing. I hope that one day people will look back and say ‘I was a contributor to that era.’”
A full list of events and tickets for Native American Heritage Month at Northern Quest can be found here.
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