WAUKESHA, Wis. — A piece of Indigenous culture is returning to the Milwaukee area. For the first time since 2019, the Indian Summer Festival is hosting a Spring Powwow, bringing the event to Waukesha after its previous run at the Summerfest grounds.
Artists and volunteers say a piece of their culture has been missing since the festival shut down. Before 2019, the Indian Summer Festival ran for 32 years in Milwaukee, providing education, an arts marketplace, music, dancing, and a powwow.
Watch: Volunteers from the Indian Summer Festival revives the Spring Powwow in Waukesha
"The largest population of Indigenous people is here in southeastern Wisconsin. That festival was an opportunity to see your family," Apache Danforth said.
Danforth, vice president of the Indian Summer Board, is one of the volunteers who helped bring about the return of the Spring Powwow. Like many other volunteers and artists, she has a personal story that connects her to the festival.
"I remember coming to Milwaukee from the Oneida Reservation as a kid, as a teenager," Danforth said.
Lloyd Nimham, president of the Indian Summer Board, also grew up attending the event.
"I remember going to Indian Summer Festival, so we had the opportunity to go do that. Born and raised in Milwaukee, that was my exposure to culture and tradition to that point," Nimham said.
Claire Maisells, an artist, echoed the importance of the event for the community.
"It’s a gathering place, and everyone wants to see friends, enjoy music, and visit," Maisells said.
"We can share our culture through the powwow, through our food, through our art," Danforth said.
Volunteers worked tirelessly to restart the festival, which connects them to their culture. Volunteer groups now plan to host events in the spring and the fall.
"To connect everybody once again because we have gone so long without it. It holds so much heart, so much memory for everybody for generations," Nimham said. "It is honoring the true nature of the land and origin.”
The event starts again over the weekend.
"We have been calling it a revival, we have been calling it a revival of the Indian Summer Festival. I think it is full circle, and we are carrying on a legacy," Danforth said.
The Indian Summer Festival opens at 9 a.m. on March 28 and 29 at the Waukesha County Expo Center. Ribbon Cutting is at 8:45 a.m. on March 28.
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