Wisconsin's first Two Spirit Pow Wow set for Keshena

Menominee County is set to host a first-of-its-kind cultural gathering at Woodland Bowl, where Wisconsin’s first Two Spirit Pow Wow will bring a new kind of public space to Keshena. The June 13 event is being presented as a safe, welcoming celebration for Two Spirits, with a non-contest format and sponsored specials that may include cash prizes.

The pow wow is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Woodland Bowl in the Village of Keshena, a venue already central to reservation life. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin identifies Woodland Bowl as the home of both the Annual Menominee Pow Wow and the Veterans Pow Wow, placing this new gathering at one of the reservation’s most important cultural sites.

Organizers are framing the event as open to everyone, including Indigenous and non-Indigenous attendees, while making clear that the pow wow is built around Two Spirit identity and participation. That distinction matters in a county where cultural events are closely watched and where a new pow wow can signal how community spaces are changing to include people who have not always seen themselves reflected in the standard calendar of public gatherings.

Leslie Doxtater, a Two Spirit Oneida woman and Tribal Action Plan Specialist for the Oneida Nation, has been identified in related coverage as one of the leading voices behind the push for greater visibility. Her work has been linked to broader community-building efforts in Wisconsin, including the kind of representation that can make Two Spirit people feel seen in public Native spaces rather than on the margins of them. Her profile describes a path shaped by self-discovery, reclamation and community work in Oneida, Wisconsin.

The Menominee Tribe’s own history adds another layer to the significance of the event. Tribal culture materials say the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin’s presence in the region dates back 10,000 years, and that the tribe once occupied about 10 million acres at the start of the treaty era, compared with a little more than 235,000 acres today. Against that backdrop, a Two Spirit Pow Wow at Woodland Bowl is not just another date on the schedule. It is a sign that Keshena remains a place where tradition, inclusion and contemporary tribal life continue to meet.