Coeur d’Alene Tribe cultural affairs director Quanah Matheson looks at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds arena, where dancers will compete July 22-24 at Julyamsh. The powwow formerly was held at the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls but moved after taking last summer off. (Kathy Plonka / The Spokesman-Review)

Quanah Matheson was watching rodeo at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds last year when he realized the arena would be a great spot for Julyamsh, the largest outdoor powwow in the Northwest.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe canceled the annual celebration last summer after fighting the introduction of instant racing gaming machines at the longtime home of Julyamsh at the Greyhound Park and Event Center in Post Falls.

The Idaho Legislature in 2015 outlawed the machines, which were pulled from the Greyhound facility. Still, the relationship had soured between the tribe and Greyhound management, and tribal leaders moved on.

After a two-year absence, the dancing, drumming, singing and ornate regalia of Julyamsh will return next week at the county’s 83-acre fairgrounds on Government Way in Coeur d’Alene.

“For me, and I’m sure for a lot of elders and people in our tribe, this is going to be a historic moment for us, coming back to our capital and having our biggest powwow here,” said Matheson, the tribe’s cultural affairs director and a powwow master of ceremonies.

The city’s lakefront area, including present-day City Park and the North Idaho College campus, long served as an important gathering place for celebrations and major decisions by the tribe’s chiefs. That’s why moving the powwow to Coeur d’Alene feels like a homecoming, Matheson said.

“We’re more than happy to be here,” he said.

Julyamsh adds another major event to the summer schedule at the fairgrounds, along with the North Idaho State Fair, Aug. 24-28.

“It’s a privilege for us to have such an incredible cultural event here in North Idaho and at the fairgrounds,” said Dane Dugan, general manager of the fairgrounds/Scott Maben, SR. More here (subscription required).

Question: Have you ever attended Julyamsh? What do you like best about it?