Tribes Gather To Enjoy Julyamsh

Beneath orange strands of fabric representing the Hopi tribe wafting in the breeze Saturday morning, Billy McDermitt sat among Native American friends and gestured to the pine branches supporting his teepee lodge. “These represent the different churches of the world,” he explained. “All of our prayers, they’re tied up at the top.” According to traditional beliefs, a visitor leaving the lodge is absolved of their sins, he said. McDermitt, a Hopi from southern Nevada, was just one of the far-flung tribal members who gathered this weekend for Julyamsh, the midsummer event billed as the largest powwow in the Northwest and hosted by the Coeur d’Alene Tribe for the past 18 years. The four-day celebration brings together tribal cultures from throughout the United States for song, dance, traditional parades and storytelling/ Kip Hill , SR. More here. (Kathy Plonka SR photo: Ike BlackWolf of Pendelton, Oregon participated in the horse parade at Julyamsh Powwow in Post Falls Saturday)

Question: Did you attend this year’s Julyamsh? If not, have you ever attended Julyamsh? Impression?