Stories, symbolism and beaded shawls—the secrets of powwow regalia

In northwest Montana, amid the rolling hills and mountains of the Flathead Reservation, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes welcome visitors to their annual Arlee Esyapqeyni powwow on 4 July. Held by many North American Indigenous communities, these gatherings celebrate and share native traditions, including dancing — performed in culturally rich, thoughtfully assembled regalia.

A girl with two braids shot from behind focusing on her beaded and tassled jacket.
Powwows are celebrations of Native American identity and take place throughout late spring into September.
Tailyr Irvine
Story and photographs byTailyr Irvine
Published April 5, 2026
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Five Native American tipi tens in a row on a flat field.
From the 1880s, the US federal government passed laws to restrict the religious and cultural ceremonies of Native American tribes; it wasn’t until the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act of 1978 that communities were once again legally allowed to celebrate their traditions.
Tailyr Irvine
A close-up of pointy feathers.
An elderly Native American couple - the woman in a wheelchair - posing for a photo in celebratory dress, like feathered head pieces and bells around their boots.
Eighty-year-old Rachel Arlee Bowers (pictured) lived through the ban era. “Dancing is prayer,” says the former powwow performer. “We pray for the people who can’t be here, and those who want to dance but can’t — people like me.” She now watches the performances from her wheelchair, her chihuahua Tiny resting on her lap — but still dresses for the occasion.
Tailyr Irvine (Top) (Left) and Tailyr Irvine (Bottom) (Right)
A young Native American man sitting on the end of his camping bed inside a tipi, dressed in festive clothes with a feathered head dress and tassels around his hips and calves.
Regalia is determined by the dance style — traditional, fancy, grass, jingle and chicken. In an arena, chicken dancer Thomas Addison wears an outfit inspired by the male prairie chicken, with feathers on his head. His movements will mirror the bird’s strut, stomps and dips.
Tailyr Irvine
A detail shot of beaded flowers, decorated leather lapels and animal fur tails.
The details of regalia are an extension of the person wearing it. The beadwork, shells, otter skins, earrings, scarves and jewellery can take years to acquire, and each piece is meticulously matched in a process that can last a lifetime.
Tailyr Irvine
A Native American woman sitting on a wall overlooking the festivities, the sun illuminating her flushed skin as she holds an umbrella behind her.
Outside the Dance Arbor, the central performance arena, Siliye Pete browses vendor stands — selling handmade art, crafts, clothing and food — with her face still painted from the Scalp Dance, which historically honoured warriors. Her umbrella, dress and acrylic nails are the same shade of light pink. The colour is her favourite, but the meaning behind her regalia goes deeper. After her stepmother beaded her hair ties, Siliye designed the rest of it to match. The otter skins wrapped around her braids were also a gift from her mother, the necklace was given to her by her father and the bracelets came from her niece. With her family present in the pieces, she says she feels comforted as she travels across the state to dance.
Tailyr Irvine
A camping site with tipi tents and parked campervans as the sun sets behind the horizon and a young girl drives by on a bike.
Powwow season can begin as early as March and lasts until September, but it’s in the warmer months that it’s in full swing, with a celebration taking place somewhere every weekend. During this time, many Native American families join the circuit, spending their days off travelling, taking part in activities and camping, carefully packing and unpacking the intricate pieces of their regalia that have been passed down through the generations.
Tailyr Irvine
Two generations of women sat in the boot of their car as the older generation adds accessories to the younger ones.
In the parking lots, parents finish last-minute beadwork and vehicles become makeshift staging areas — intimate moments that are as central to the gatherings as the performances in the arenas.
Tailyr Irvine
Published in the USA guide, available with the Jan/Feb 2026 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

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