The annual Southern Ute Bear Dance starts today and continues into Monday. All are invited to the bear dancing at the tribe's Bear Dance Grounds and to the Bear Dance Pow Wow at Sky Ute Event Center.
The weekend starts with Ute Nation Day today, 8:30 a.m. at the Bear Dance Grounds. This honors tribal police from the Southern Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, Northern Ute, and Jicarilla Apache tribes. The Bear Dance opens at 10 a.m., with blessing of the corral at 10:30 and a kick-off lunch at noon.
Bear dancing on Saturday and Sunday starts at 10 a.m. and continues through the evening. On Monday the dancing starts at 10 a.m. and ends at sunset. The Bear Dance feast is Monday noon just south of the Bear Dance corral.
For Bear Dance information call 563-0100, ext. 3620.
Pow wow dancing starts today with registration at 5 p.m., Gourd Dancing from 5 to 6:30 p.m., and the Grand Entry at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Gourd Dancing is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 5 to 6:30 p.m. with Grand Entries at 1 and 7 p.m.
For pow wow information call Edward Box III at 799-8940.
A hand game tournament will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Bear Dance campground. For information call Jocelyn Dutchie at 563-0100, ext. 2306 or at 563-4802.
