Thousands of onlookers and participants gathered in Discovery Park on a mid-July weekend for a grand celebration of indigenous culture. Orchestrated by the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation and sponsored by the Sealaska corporation, the 2025 Indian Days Powwow gave Pacific Northwest Tribes an opportunity to share food, crafts and culture with the public at large.
Participants competed in royalty pageants and dance contests for cash prizes, alongside raffles and giveaway events. Visitors were treated to a variety of delicious food offerings including fry bread tacos from Off the Rez. More notable, however, was the constant smell of grilled salmon, with Powwow staff cooking up fresh fillets over a roasting fire.
A tribute to missing and murdered indigenous women, sponsored by actress Lily Gladstone (in partnership with the group Missing and Murdered indigenous women & relatives) highlighted the event Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a very real thing that you would be hard-pressed to find any Indigenous life is not touched by this epidemic or an Indigenous life that’s not touched by this continued legacy of removing Indian kids from Indian families,” Gladstone told the Montana News Ledger in a 2024 interview, speaking of her film ‘Fancy Dance’ about a native woman searching for her missing sister in Tawi, Oklahoma.
All told, the event was apparently one of the largest in the Powwow’s 36-year history, with a reported attendance north of 20,000 people, and more than 300 dancers.
“We’re immensely grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make this event an unforgettable success,” United Indians of All Tribes Foundation CEO Michael Tulee said in a statement to Native News Online. “The overwhelming turnout truly highlights the growing community and appreciation for Indigenous traditions in our region.”
