NEAR WINNEBAGO, Neb. (KTIV) -
Hundreds of families are in Winnebago, Neb., to celebrate their heritage.
"You can say it's a big family gathering, that's why they call it Welcoming Home," said Kennard Parker of the Omaha Tribe in Mesa, Neb.
For others, it's a fun place just to relax.
"Just watch all the dancers, enjoy the food, it's a real nice environment here," said Justice Hunter Blackhawk of Black River Falls, Wisc.
While it's a grand selection of food stands that bring people in, it's the grand entrance, which honors veterans, which keeps folks around for the afternoon.
"All different dances, some of them were going in circles, some of them were just doing simple steps. I like that," said Maureen Kalkowski-Farrand of Omaha, Neb.
"Each of the flags, they're representative of families, they each have songs and we sing to them and we honor them as we go along," said PO2 Larry Payer, a Vietnam veteran and tribal council member for Winnebago Tribe.
The grand entrance ceremony is designed to honor all of the service members from their tribes, dating all the way back to the Spanish-American War. It's a time to help veterans and their families heal.
"A lot of them come back with mental illnesses, lot of them come back with taking life, just dealing with taking life and a lot of them, and a lot of them come back with missing limbs that they have to deal with," said Parker.
For some, it's important to get the kids to follow in their footsteps.
"The songs and the ceremonies that you see today have been handed down from generation to generation," said Parker.
The Pow Wow resumes tomorrow. Even if you're unable to make it out to the ceremony in person, you can listen to it live online through streaming audio here.
