NEWKIRK, Okla.- The Otoe Missouria and Ho-Chunk Tribes will join at the Winter Encampment Dance this upcoming weekend. Although removed to Indian Territory in the late 1800s, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe are originally woodland tribes whose century-old ties to their relatives of the Ho-Chunk Tribe will be rekindled this weekend at the annual Winter Encampment Dance in Newkirk. The tribes are related to each other in custom, culture and language, but separated from each other over the centuries before being confined to different reservations in Oklahoma and Wisconsin in the middle of the 19th century. The Ho-Chunk Nation Headquarters is located in Black River Falls, Wisconsin(196 miles northwest of Milwaukee).
“Last year, both the Ho-Chunks and the Winnebagos came to our Winter Encampment,” Otoe-Missouria Encampment Committee Chairman Donnie Childs says. “It was like a really large family reunion. This year we asked Larry Walker Jr of the Ho-Chunk Nation to be our Head Man Dancer for the event and he is bringing with him a large group of Ho-Chunks to join us. We didn’t think this would turn out to be such a large gathering again, but we are grateful just the same.”
The event starts at 1 p.m. with Gourd Dancing, dinner is served at 5 p.m. and Grand Entry will be at 7 p.m.
In addition, the Kiowa Gourd Clan are special guests at the dance. The Kiowa Tribe gave the Gourd Dance to the Otoe-Missouria people in the 1920’s shortly before the dance became extinct. When the dance was revived by the Kiowas in the 1950’s the Otoe-Missouria Tribe again started dancing as well.
The Otoe-Missouria Tribe hosts its annual Winter Encampment Saturday, January 26 at its 7 Clans First Council Casino Event Center in Newkirk, OK. For more information visit www.omtribe.org.
Otoe-Missouria Winter Encampment Schedule
12875 North Highway 77, Newkirk, OK
Saturday, January 26, 2019
1 p.m. Gourd Dance
5 p.m. Dinner
7 p.m. Grand Entry-Contest in all adult categories
Otoe-Missouria Winter Encampment Head Staff
MC . . . . . Frank Carson, John Arkeketa
Head Singer . . . . . Mike Kihega
Head Gourd Dancer . . . . . Chairman John Shotton
Head Man Dancer . . . . . Larry Walker Jr
Head Lady Dancer . . . . . Leda Green
2018 Princess . . . . . Breanna Kihega
Arena Directors . . . . . Mike Hudson, Eric Payne
Water Boys . . . . Derek Bible, Hagen Childs
Co-Hosts . . . . . Red Rock Creek
Special Guest . . . . . Kiowa Gourd Clan
Honored Guests . . . . Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin
Contact
Donnie Childs 405-258-8342
