03-05-2025
Third annual powwow held at Flett Middle School Saturday, open to the public
May 2—Flett Middle School will host the third annual Pauline Flett Powwow Saturday, a free public event hosted by the students and celebrating the culture and history of the region's native peoples.
"We call it a learning powwow, in that we're trying to help our students learn how to put it on, market it, put it up and run it," said school Principal Matthew Henshaw. "Our overall purpose is allowing our Native students to see representation in the school of their own culture being celebrated, and helping our kids learn about Pauline's vision and her legacy."
The middle school, opened in 2022, is named after the late Spokane tribal elder Pauline Flett, who co-wrote the first Spokane-English dictionary and is credited with playing an instrumental role in preserving the Spokane Tribe of Indians' Salish dialect. School leadership, wanting to honor the legacy of their namesake, started guiding their new students to host the event the first year it opened.
"It gives our Native youth pride in who they are and where they come from," said Margo Hill, a Spokane tribal member and urban planning professor at Eastern Washington University who was among the community leaders who worked with Henshaw to launch the 2022 powwow.
"It's just a beautiful opportunity to see what tribal communities are doing and that the kids can celebrate their culture," Hill added.
The powwow will be held in the school gymnasium at 5020 West Wellesley Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The event will consist of two repeating sessions, with grand entries at noon and 5 p.m. and a number of contests, including hand drum, red dress special, and a golden age category for dancers who are 50 years of age or older. Dinner will be held around 5 p.m.
Henshaw estimated there were about 30 vendors this year that the middle schoolers would be helping set up their stands, selling custom artwork and jewelry, and more.
