Leanna Lehman
The Moving Forward Together Powwow, held from May 30 to June 1 at the Rafter 3C Events Complex in Fallon, was a three-day gathering that honored Native culture through dance, song, art, and storytelling. The intertribal event welcomed dancers, relatives, and guests from across the region and beyond.
Festivities began Friday with a bustling Indigenous Arts Market featuring Native American artwork, handcrafted jewelry, blankets, beadwork, clothing, and other traditional items. The day also included a Youth Voice Night and the fifth convergence of the Great Basin Tribal Alliance, hosted by the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe.
Saturday's early session featured a Talking Circle with Elder Ronnie Dixon, along with a mix of intertribal dances, games, and specialty contests. Participants of all ages joined the circle. Children as young as two danced in full regalia beside parents and grandparents, their handmade beadwork, ribbons, and feathers moving in rhythm—each outfit a work of art, each step part of a larger story.
Throughout the weekend, the arena pulsed with color, drumbeats, and community. Dancers filled the floor—from Golden Age participants who've moved in powwow circles for decades to juniors, teens, and tiny tots just beginning their journey. Events included open intertribal dances, competitive categories for men and women, and a variety of community specials. Highlights included the Potato Dance and the Boot and Hat Special, sponsored by the Buckaroo Traditions Gathering to honor Nevada's cowboy and ranching families.
One of Saturday's featured events was the Women's Red Dress Dance Special, hosted by Sarah Cameau, vice president of War Party Ranch—a nonprofit that empowers Native women through programs in hunting, fitness, self-defense, and traditional skills. Rather than conventional outreach, War Party Ranch focuses on restoring strength and self-reliance, breaking cycles of abuse by changing the way women are treated, particularly within Native communities.
The Red Dress Dance was an elimination contest with 14 women competing for a full buffalo harvest. But the prize was more than meat—it was an experience. The winner's selected female party will participate in the entire harvest process, learning to field-dress the animal and prepare it using traditional methods. The goal is communion, cultural reconnection, and confidence-building through shared knowledge and ceremony.
The final dance round was accompanied by the renowned Black Lodge Singers, the event's Host Drum, whose voices and drumbeats brought weight and energy to the floor. Tomasita Mountainsheep was named the top dancer. Resplendent in red sequins, fur, and braids, she stood out with both presence and experience as the eldest woman in the group. The other dancers—each in striking red dresses and jingles—moved with purpose and grace, honoring the strength and memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW).
Another highlight was the Head Woman's Old Style Jingle Dress Dance, a competitive category for women and girls 13 and up. Shirley Cypher of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribes led the dance. A lifelong powwow dancer, Cypher is known for her welcoming spirit and her love of the jingle dress tradition.
The Head Man's All Men's Traditional Special brought high energy to the arena. Fallon's own William Koipa Dick led the dance. A Northern Traditional dancer in the circle since he could walk, Dick represented both his hometown and his heritage, joining the other dancers' spirited display of strength, respect, and cultural pride.
More than just a celebration, the MFT Powwow was a living, moving circle for stories, songs, and survival. The alcohol and substance-free event created a space for sobriety, reflection, and connection. Elders, parents, and youth stood together —passing down tradition not just through memory but through drumbeats and dance.
In the circle, there was space for everyone.
Note: In the May 30 article of The Fallon Post, it was incorrectly noted that the MFT Powwow was held in partnership with the Churchill Community Coalition. The Powwow is now organized and produced independently.
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