Milwaukee Public Museum to host a powwow for the first time ever
Jim Higgins
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
October 28th, 2025
The Ho-Chunk drum group Little Priest, in green shirts, and dancers from several tribes will take part in the first ever powwow hosted by Milwaukee Public Museum.
For the first time in its history, the Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 W. Wells St., will host a powwow. The Nov. 1 event will launch its Native American Heritage Month activities.
The Ho-Chunk drum group Little Priest and dancers from various tribes will participate in what the museum is calling its first annual 3 Rivers Powwow.
“Powwows are social gatherings that celebrate different tribes coming together to share their vibrant regalia, dance styles steeped in tradition, and powerful singing and drumming,” James Flores, the museum’s manager of tribal relations, said in a statement announcing the event.
The museum emphasizes that everyone is welcome at the powwow, you don’t have to be Native American.
The powwow will be the centerpiece of a day of free activities at the museum. Grand entry begins at noon for the powwow, which is scheduled to continue until 7 p.m. Indigenous crafts and food will be on sale.
Also on Nov. 1, children 3 through 6 years old and their families can hear Native American stories and participate in hands-on activities in the museum’s Early Learning classroom. Free museum admission on Nov. 1 is sponsored by Bader Philanthropies in honor of the late Isabel Bader.
Admission also is free for all museum visitors on Nov. 6 courtesy of the Kohl’s Thank You Thursday program. Native American Heritage Month activities on Nov. 6 will include talks by Flores, a member of the Oneida nation, on construction and design styles of moccasins worn by different Wisconsin tribal nations.
Native American Heritage Month activities at the museum are presented by Potawatomi Casino Hotel. For a list of activities, visit mpm.edu/nahm.