SALAMANCA, N.Y. — Visitors and participants, neighbors and friends and spectators from across the United States and Canada will return to the Seneca Nation’s Allegany Territory this weekend for the Marvin “Joe” Curry Veterans Powwow.

The annual celebration of Native American culture and traditions will be held at the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino. Doors open at 9 a.m. each day. Grand Entry will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

“Culture, traditions, community and friendship have been at the heart of our annual powwow weekend for more than 30 years,” Powwow committee officials shared. “We are excited to welcome friends and neighbors, old and new, back to our Allegany Territory to share in this enthusiastic celebration of Native American culture and heritage.”

The weekend’s events will start Friday with a free community social gathering at 6 p.m. in the casino’s Seneca Allegany Event Center. The gathering will feature social songs and dances, and several craft and food vendors will be open on site.

The powwow begins the following day and will feature several dance, drum and hand drum competitions with more than $100,000 in prizes awarded. Dance competition categories include Smoke Dance, Jingle Dance, Grass Dance, Fancy Dance and Traditional Dance.

The Powwow Committee is once again sponsoring the 3rd annual Woodland Worldwide Gold and Blue Star Special and hand drum special. Several families will be hosting specials as well. There will be two Old Style Jingle specials, a Cradleboard Special, a Tiny Tot special, an “Honoring our Grandmothers” Ladies Smoke Dance Special and the “Battle of the Nations” Kyle Dowdy, Sr. Memorial War Dance Special. Competition winners will be announced on Sunday evening, before the conclusion of the powwow.

Other highlights include the Tiny Tots Dance, for dancers age 4 and younger, and Iroquois Social Dancing, in which everyone is invited and encouraged to participate.

In addition, the Onöhsagwë:de’ Cultural Center will sponsor an Artist Demonstration tent where Seneca and other Haudenosaunee artists and storytellers will offer presentations. More than 40 craft vendors will offer traditional handmade Native crafts, artwork and a variety of food and beverage vendors will offer everything from traditional Native food favorites and modern festival fare to delicious desserts throughout the weekend.

After being held in Veterans Memorial Park for many years, relocating the powwow to the casino’s event center came about in 2024 when many dancers notified the Powwow Committee’s arena director that the artificial turf on the football field at Vets Park is too hot to dance comfortably in the middle of July.

Up until 2022, the event had occurred on the natural grass at Vets Park, which had been replaced in the Salamanca school district’s capital improvement project. The committee took note and moved the powwow to the event center, where the dancers can comfortably perform in a climate-controlled environment.

The powwow honors all veterans and is named in honor of Marvin “Joe” Curry, a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Snipe Clan, who led a long and distinguished career of military service in the U.S. Navy, serving two tours of duty in the Korean War and also serving in the Vietnam War.

After entering the U.S. Navy in 1950, Curry served two tours of duty during the Korean War and also the Vietnam War. He served on eight warships, including the U.S.S. Little Rock, and retired in 1997. Throughout his career, he earned numerous honors.

The Seneca Nation has presented the annual celebration of Native American culture for more than 30 years. It is one of the largest powwow celebrations in the northeast, attracting competitors and visitors from across the United States and Canada.

Daily admission for the powwow is $10 for adults 18 and older, with weekend passes available for $15. Admission for students age 5-17 and elders age 60 and older is just $5 per day or $10 for a weekend pass. Veterans and active military personnel (with valid ID) and children age 4 and younger will be admitted free of charge.

Complete schedule, online ticket purchase, registration and contest information are available at senecapowwow.org.