Menominee Nation powwow honors veterans and rising community leaders
At Woodland Bowl, the Gathering of Warriors Powwow honored veterans and community mentors with songs, gifts and Grand Entry ceremonies in Keshena.
Woodland Bowl filled with songs, gifts and public recognition as the Gathering of Warriors Powwow honored veterans whose service and leadership have shaped Menominee life, from educators like Michael Clark to caretakers like Dave Oshkosh. The weekend spotlighted not only those who served in uniform, but also the people who guided families, students and neighbors through daily community work.
The powwow was held May 16-17 at Woodland Bowl in Keshena, with grand entries scheduled for 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. Sunday. Wind Eagle served as the host drum, with Young War Party and Lake Delton as co-host drums. The setting on Fairgrounds Road again turned the open-air bowl into a place of ceremony, where veterans were recognized in front of family members, youth and other community leaders.
The Menominee Nation e-News framed the gathering as a celebration of service and leadership, and the event was used to uplift emerging leaders as well. Veterans of the Menominee Nation highlighted members of Seven Fires One Community, reinforcing the message that the powwow was about passing responsibility forward, not only looking back with gratitude. That mix of remembrance and mentorship made the weekend a public statement about who the Menominee community honors and who it expects to lead next.
Veterans of the Menominee Nation describes itself as open to all veterans, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation or discharge status. Its mission includes honor guard services for fallen warriors, presenting the colors when requested and volunteering at community events, which places the powwow within a broader year-round service role rather than a single performance weekend. The organization’s event archive shows Gathering of Warriors Powwows in 2009, 2014 through 2019, 2022, 2024 and 2026, underscoring that this is an established tradition in Menominee County.
The gathering also carries a deeper sense of place. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin says its history begins at the mouth of the Menominee River, about 60 miles east of the current reservation, a reminder of the continuity that runs through events at Woodland Bowl. A 2022 Gathering of Warriors Powwow honored Metaemohsak Naenawehtawak, or Women Warriors, and a 2024 Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs newsletter said Secretary-designee James Bond attended the powwow, joined the Grand Entry and took part in the flag ceremony. Taken together, those gatherings show why the Menominee Nation powwow remains one of the clearest ways the tribe publicly recognizes veterans in Menominee County and beyond.
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