147th annual
ponca celebration

August 24-27, 2023
Fancy Dance World Championships
The Ponca Tribe invites the public to our Annual Celebration and Fancy Dance World Championships at White Eagle Park in Ponca City, Oklahoma.
​"Our old people told us that Poncas are a sacred people who have strong beliefs that are tied to our lands and our sacred ceremonies. Because of who we are, there are some responsibilities that we owe to ourselves and to God the Creator. 
An old spiritual sacred law among true traditional natives is; “Whenever the Great Spirit bestows upon you a sacred gift, you have a responsibility to perform and to take care of your special gift”. We Ponca’s know and believe that this way of life was given to us directly by Wakonda." 
​- Oliver Littlecook, Ponca Tribal Chairman and Elder
Ponca artist Mars Biggoose was commissioned in the 1960's to design the Great Seal of the Ponca Tribe. The Pipe is featured on the seal superimposed over the design as if to say, “always respect the sacred pipe,” which represents our religion, given to our ancestors by Wakonda where only his forearms were seen when he gave the sacred pipe to our people.

2022 ponca pow wow video
The Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma is a federally recognized tribe that has more than 3,500 registered members. In order to be eligible for Ponca Tribal membership, applicant must be at least one-eighth (1/8) Ponca and an application will need to be submitted to the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma with a copy of a certified birth certificate.
"Our Mother the Earth is the source of life. Water is her lifeblood. The well-being of the natural environment predicts the physical, the mental, the emotional and the spiritual longevity of our communities.
Mother Earth’s health, her nature, and that of our Indigenous Peoples are intertwined, inseparable. As Indigenous Peoples, we are of the Earth and the Earth is of us. Mother Earth is life. This inseparable relationship must be respected through rights-based instruments for the sake of our future generations and for the well-being of the Earth herself, for all people, for all life."
​ - Casey Camp-Horinek, Ponca Nation Elder, Emmy award winning actress, author, and an internationally renowned  Native and Human Rights and Environmental Justice Activist
Fancy Dance Casino is owned and operated by the Ponca Enterprise Gaming, LLC (PEG), a subsidiary of the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma.  The sole purpose of Fancy Dance Casino is to provide a source of revenue and employment for the Ponca Tribe and residents, for the benefit of economic growth. The 10,000 square foot gaming floor has over 290 electronic games, plus delicious food and cold beverages.
"We, who have always been there, whose bones of untold generations of our ancestors enrich the soil, are the stewards, the caretakers of this land. Joining hands with all kindred spirits, native, and non-native, we can give future generations a place in the sun. Our children must learn how imperative is this truth as we teach continuity of culture, tradition, and our true history.
​To help overcome five hundred years of generational trauma, historical trauma, we elders must impart this knowledge to our young ones. Giving them a positive ancestral foundation helps engender our children with a strong, positive self-image. A pride in themselves and as natives will help future generations be more capable of making good life decisions."
- Dwaine Camp, Ponca Nation Elder
​© 2022 Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
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