Wacipi—or powwow—is a traditional Native American gathering. It is a time for renewing friendships and making new ones, dancing, singing, and celebrating. Join us for the annual SMSC Wacipi August 15-17, 2025.
After a hot, yet exciting weekend full of dancing, drumming, and singing, we are glad to announce the winners of each category for this year’s Wacipi!
If you are unable to attend in-person, view the event on one of our livestreams.
The SMSC Wacipi and Mdewakanton Public Safety are offering free child safety wristbands to visitors to safely reunite lost children with their loved ones.
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Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community
The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Dakota tribal government located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Following a Dakota tradition of generosity, the SMSC is one of the top philanthropists in Minnesota and is the largest contributor to other tribal governments and causes across the country. It is a strong community partner and a leader in protecting and restoring natural resources. The SMSC’s government, Gaming Enterprise and various other enterprises are collectively the largest employer in Scott County and attract millions of visitors to the region.
Ookiye Owas Iyekiyewicak̇iyapi
“Recognizing All the Staff Helping with the Wacipi”
Ho-Chunk - Invited Drum
"Aho! We are Ho-Chunk Station, and we hail from Lyndon Station, Wisconsin. Our drum group was created by our late dad, Rick Cleveland Sr., of the Ho-Chunk Nation. We have been singing since 2007, and we are still going strong today. We represent the tribes of our singers as well as our own great Ho-Chunk Nation. We appreciate the invite this year and look forward to sharing our style of singing."
Ookiye Owas Iyekiyewicak̇iyapi
“Recognizing All the Staff Helping with the Wacipi”
Cree Confederation - Invited Drum
"Cree Confederation Singers are a powwow drum group from Treaty 6 Territory, known for powerful vocals, original songs, and dedication to Cree culture. They are two-time Juno Awards and one-time Grammy Awards nominees, and feature Fawn Wood, a Juno Award winner and two-time Grammy nominee, adding star power and deep cultural roots to the group."
#TBT to the 2008 SMSC Wacipi! 💙 Check out the flyer featuring the head staff, invited drums, and specials from that year!
Ookiye Owas Iyekiyewicak̇iyapi
“Recognizing All the Staff Helping with the Wacipi”
Cozad - Invited Drum
"The Cozad Singers were formed in the early 1940s by their late father Leonard Cozad, Sr. They are from the Kiowa Nation of Oklahoma; the siblings of their late father are now taking care of the drum group duties. Since their inception, they have served as Host, Invited, or Head Singer positions at their tribal and local tribal gatherings as well as other celebrations throughout the Powwow Trail. They’re called upon as Head Gourd Dance Singers at certain times of the year, individually or as a group. They have competed in singing competitions throughout the Powwow Trail at different tribal celebrations. Throughout their travels, they’ve met friends, made new ones and even adopted relatives through the big Drum way of singing. Singing has been a way of life and continues to share and promote the culture and traditions of singing. We’re honored to be an Invited Drum for this year’s celebration. Ah ho Gah Say Lah for the honor."
It`s our favorite day of the week! Happy #TinyTotTuesday everyone! ❤️
Ookiye Owas Iyekiyewicak̇iyapi
“Recognizing All the Staff Helping with the Wacipi”
Veterans - Lakota Women Warriors
The Lakota Women Warriors are made up of female veterans from the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota but have welcomed all Native American women veterans from across the nation and from other tribes. Each member of the Lakota Women Warriors has her own story; she represents her individual branch of service by wearing their service coats with their own unique regalia, and they represent the era in which she has served. All different but in many ways the same. The Lakota Women Warriors have the common goal of working together and being positive role models for all Native American youth, especially young girls with aspirations of serving their country. They dance for all warriors past and present and are very supportive of the women who have served. Women have historically been overlooked in the military and the group hopes to play an important role in getting women warriors recognized. Amongst serving as positive role models, the Lakota Women Warriors want to recognize all warriors, past and present. The Lakota Women Warriors are the only known all-Native, all-female color guard to present colors for two NFL teams (Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings), a WNBA team (Minnesota Lynx), and an MLB team (Kansas City Royals). In 2022, the Lakota Women Warriors traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to be part of the Marvel Comics “Echo” which streamed in Disney+ in the summer of 2023. The Lakota Women Warriors are also representing Indian Country in the documentary “Saving 22.” The documentary focuses on veteran suicide as well as challenges that face all veterans. The group continues to support Indian Country by participating in events and providing community support for various functions as well as traveling nationwide and Canada.
“I am a woman. I served in the military. I am a veteran.”
Ookiye Owas Iyekiyewicak̇iyapi
“Recognizing All the Staff Helping with the Wacipi”
Redwing Thomas - Master of Ceremonies
H`upahu Duta (Redwing Thomas) comes from the lands of the Isanti Dakota Nation of Santee, Nebraska. He serves his tribe as the Director of the SSN Dakota Language Program. H`upahu Duta is and has been a long-time spokesman/advocate of the Dakota Language. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, he is still actively involved with revitalizing, restrengthening, and restoring the Dakota language and culture. He is known throughout Indian Country for sharing cultural concepts, philosophies, and motivating young people to be proud of who they are.
When he`s not holding the mic as an Eyapaha (Master of Ceremonies), he travels extensively through the United States and Canada as a proud member of the Mato Pejuta drum group. He loves to sing, he loves the beauty of music, the message, and the feeling the drums bring. A proud father of seven and an overjoyed grandfather to two exceptional grandsons, Redwing Thoams is happy to be returning to SMSC and he`s excited for this year’s SMSC Wacipi!
Women`s Traditional Dance showcases grace, modesty, and dignity 💫🪶. Dancers typically wear a breastplate and carry a shawl along with a fan made with eagle feathers. Northern dancers often stay in place, their fringe swaying to the beat, while Southern dancers move gracefully around the circle, their fringe swaying back and forth.
