Puyallup tribal veterans join Menominee Gathering of Warriors powwow
Puyallup veterans traveled to Keshena to post colors and help at the Gathering of Warriors, turning a powwow into an intertribal meeting of service, honor and shared protocol.
Puyallup tribal veterans traveled to Keshena on May 16 and 17 to post colors and help where needed at the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s Gathering of Warriors Powwow, a visit that put military service and tribal kinship at the center of the weekend at Woodland Bowl.
Jay Simchen, Teddy Simchen, Rodney Sisson and Clarence Tougaw were among the veterans who took part. Tribal councilmembers Annette Bryan and James Rideout were also there, underscoring that the gathering was more than a performance stop. It was a working, ceremonial visit between Native veterans and tribal leaders, built around responsibility as much as recognition.
The weekend began with sunshine on Saturday and rain on Sunday, but the weather did not slow the veterans’ participation. On Friday evening, the Puyallup veterans shared a meal with Menominee veterans and guests, with salmon and crab on the table. That kind of gathering matters in Keshena because powwows are not only public celebrations. They are places where veterans, singers, dancers, families and dignitaries build relationships, follow protocol and pass responsibilities from one generation to the next.
The Puyallup veterans have attended the Gathering of Warriors Powwow for more than a decade, and 2026 marked the ninth year the Puyallup Tribal Council had allowed them to attend. Jay Simchen, Teddy Simchen and Clarence Tougaw drove four hours from Minneapolis to reach Keshena, a reminder that the ties drawn there are strong enough to cross state lines and tribal boundaries year after year.
The Menominee Nation’s own event history shows the depth of that tradition. The Veterans of the Menominee Nation has archived Gathering of Warriors Powwow pages from 2009, 2014 through 2019 and 2022, reflecting a long-running event that continues to draw returning participants. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin says its history in the region dates back 10,000 years, and its origin story begins at the mouth of the Menominee River, about 60 miles east of the present reservation. For Menominee County, that gives the powwow a local meaning that reaches beyond one weekend: Keshena remains a central place where military honor, tribal identity and intertribal connection still meet in public view.
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