Rocky Boy celebration runs this week

The Rocky Boys Annual Celebration starts at Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation this week, with events for youths and adults, competitors and spectators alike, starting with the Youth Rodeo Wednesday, Rocky Boy Rodeo Team Roping Jackpot and Youth Powwow Thursday, and the main powwow and rodeo starting Friday and running through Sunday.

The annual celebration brings thousands of people to the area from around the nation and across borders, as well.

Some special guests are involved this year, including Chippewa Cree tribal member and American Indigenous Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee Donny Belcourt the honorary starter at the 2023 Walk for Sobriety, from the former Stone Child College to the Rocky Boy Powwow grounds Friday. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. with the walk starting at 9 a.m. and a feed starting after the walk with age categories of 6-younger, 7-9, 10-13, 14-18 in events from roping to rough stock riding, and timed events like flag, barrels and poles.

The poster for the annual rodeo says the kids rodeo starts Wednesday at 4 p.m. with the roping jackpot Thursday and the main rodeo starting Friday, and the main powwow also starting Friday.

The celebration, the 59th put on at Rocky Boy, has the Youth Powwow Thursday, organized by the Chippewa Cree Tribe's Wellness Coalition, with grand entries at 1 and 6 p.m at the Rocky Boy Powwow grounds on Laredo/Agency Road.

All dancers and drum groups will be paid, although dancers must wear regalia to be paid.

Specials will be announced during the powwow.

Categories are Tiny Tots for children 6 and younger, junior girls and junior boys for ages 7-12 and teen girls and teen boys for ages 13-17.

The announcement for the youth powwow says families can arrange for initiation for new dancers.

The master of ceremonies is Ashton Burkeybile, the arena director is Sky Topsky and the host drum is Young Guns.

The men's head dancers are Shayden Standing Rock and Anjoie Standing Rock and the women's head dancers are Rylie Standing Rock and Millie Whitehorse.

The rodeo action runs in conjunction with the celebration, with action from Wednesday through Sunday all at the Sybil Sangrey-Colliflower Memorial Arena in Box Elder.

After the kids rodeo Wednesday, Thursday is the Rocky Boy Rodeo Team Roping Jackpot in the Sybil Sangrey-Colliflower Memorial ARena, presented by the Chippewa Cree Tribe and Rocky Boy Rodeo Committee, sponsored by Plain Green.

The event starts at 6. p.m. It has open robing and #10 handicap and honor system with wrangler card numbers.

It has a draw pot three-steer average at $50 entry fee with people able to enter up to four times. $500 is added.

The announcement for the event says enter on-site and cash only.

Thursday through Sunday the Sybil Sangrey-Colliflower Arena is the site for the Honoring Our Past Champions Ah-Si-Ni-Wi-Yin (Rocky Boy) Rodeo, an Indian National Finals Rodeo qualifier.

The rodeo poster said the event has rough stock and juinior and events with one-go, times events, long and shot-go events and top for all major events.

$6,000 is added for all major events and $4,000 is added for junior and senior events.

Friday at theAh-Si-Ni-Wi-Yin rodeo, slack starts at 10 a.m. with the first performance at 7 p.m.. A special event Friday ins rookie bronc riding.

Saturday is scheduled to have slack at 10 a.m. with the second performance at 7 p.m. and rookie bareback riding again the special event.

Sunday has short-go at noon with ranch bronc riding as the special event.

The powwow, the Rocky Boy Annual Celebration, has grand entries at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Rocky Boy Powwow grounds.

The celebration has categories and prizes in a number of categories.

The Golden Age, 55 and older, has men's grass/fancy, women's jingle/fancy and traditional dancing.

The Senior, ages 35-54, and Junior Adult, 18-34, has Men's Grass, Fancy, Traditional, Chicken, Southern Straight and women's Jingle, Fancy, Traditional and Southern/Cloth.

The announcement said the celebration is welcoming back to the Bear Paws the Men's Crow Style, Women's Crow Style, Men's Eastern Woodland, Women's Appliqué/Scrub, Men's Smoke Dance and Women's Smoke Dance.

For places, first gets $1,200, second $1,000, third $800 and fourth $500.

For Teen Boys and Girls 13-17 and Junior Boys and Girls 7-12, categories areB Boy's Grass, Fancy, Traditional and Chicken and Girls Jingle, Fancy and traditional.

Places are teens, first $400, second $300, third $200 and fourth $100; for juniors, first $25-, second $200, third $250 and fourth $100.

Tiny tots are paid daily, the announcement said.

The celebration also has a singing contest in two categories, Contemporary and original/Southern. Places in those are, first, $20,000; second, $15,000, third, $10,000, fourth $8,000, fifth, $6,000, and consolations, $1,000 each, the announcement said.

The celebration also is holding a stick game tournament, in which teams try to guess - and trick the opposing team into guessing wrong - who is holding marked sticks, or bones.

Open games are set for Thursday and Friday with the main tournament Saturday at the powwow grounds. The rules say each team can have three to five players and it is a double elimination tournament.

Tournament registration is Saturday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. with first place taking $15,000, second $10,000, third $5,000 and fourth $2,500.

Sunday will see a three-man tournament with entry $60 per team and the payout $5,000 for first, $2,500 for second, $1,500 for third and $500 for fourth.