Dorette Kerian and I spent several wonderful hours Saturday attending a “Wacipi” sponsored by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community a short drive from our place in Bloomington, Minn.

A Wacipi, or powwow, meaning “they dance” in the Dakota language, is a marvelous event to watch.

I’ve been a spectator over the years at many smaller scale Wacipis at the University of North Dakota.

This one is massive, attracting American Indian participants from tribes across the country.

The categories are Men’s Traditional, Men’s Grass, Men’s Fancy, Men’s Chicken, Women’s Traditional, Women’s Jingle Dress and Women’s Fancy Shawl.

There’s also an “Elders” category for dancers age 65 or older. I’m part Indian myself, Chippewa, once the enemy of the Sioux in Minnesota and North Dakota. So I could have participated.

But having not brought along my Chippewa dancing stick (one of my most prized posessions), I decided to pass this year in favor of taking pictures like this one.