FM Area Celebrates 4th Annual FM Crossroads Powwow

The sounding of drums and chanting for the roll call kick off the beginning of a two–day celebration of song, dance and the honoring of a thriving culture.

FARGO, N.D. — The sounding of drums and chanting for the roll call kick off the beginning of a two–day celebration of song,dance and the honoring of a thriving culture.

“I have been dancing since I was two so I’m 44 years old, and I have been dancing since I was two, so that’s like 42 years of experience doing this,” Windy Rock Arizona resident, Matthew Sheka, SR said.

Matthew made the drive up all the way from Arizona to compete in the Men’s Southern Traditional contest.

“It’s fun we get to see people we haven’t seen in a while you know Powwow meaning gathering and the main reason we came to compete for the prize money that they have here,” Sheka said.

But he didn’t make the drive all by himself.

“You know I have been a single father since 2004, and all my kids are grown up, but my youngest is the one that lives with me, and he travels with me so he’s out of school so we can pretty much go anywhere and just enjoy ourselves,” Sheka said.

There is a lot of things Matthew and his son get to enjoy when they come out to Powwows.

“You get to see the Grand Entry when all the dancers come in at one time, and you get to hear these awesome drummers that travel here this weekend,” Sheka said.

The celebration Matthew and his son are competing in is the 4th annual for the Fargo–Moorhead area.

Now the community is taking time to honor the man who founded the celebration in Fargo.

“I don’t like to be in the spotlight myself, so that was really nice of them. I appreciate them doing that, I don’t like surprises, so it threw me off,” President Of FM Crossroads, Scott Satermo said.

Scott got the War Bonnet, a symbol of leadership in the community, and he hopes to see more people from all across the valley join in on the celebration.

“This culture is a part of the city as well, and I think they should come and take ownership of it Native people are not just “over there” we are apart of the community,” Satermo said.