• Arlee Celebration
    Welcome to our Tribal members
    and guests from the United States and Canada
    and everyone else who has chosen to attend
    our celebration.
  • Long History
    In the 1890s, traditional Indian dances
    were illegal under Bureau of Indian
    Affairs rules, and the Indian police and
    Flathead Indian Agent Peter Ronan used
    threats of U.S. Army intervention to
    break up the dance.
    They didn't find it illegal to celebrate
    the Fourth of July.
  • A Time to Celebrate
    Our ancestors paved this
    cultural path for us and
    we continue paving this path for
    our future
  • Dances of Past and Present
    The Jingle Dance evolved from Mille Lacs, MN
    The jingle dress is made from cloth with
    hundreds, 366, metal cones or jingles
    covering the material

Welcome to the Arlee Celebration

It's always a good feeling to reach this part of the year when we celebrate to follow the footprints of our elders. This is what it's all about! A time to celebrate! As we come into another year we as Native People always lookforward to our ceremonial and traditional gatherings. And, the celebration is just one part of that important cycles of our lives. Our ancestors paved this cultural path for us and we continue paving this path for our future, leaving our faith and trust in the Great Spirit to guide us -- Johnny Arlee

dancer1 dancer2 dancer3

Longtime dancers at the Arlee Celebration

Latest News

May 1, 2012

The 114th annual Arlee 4th of July Celebration events announced

Good day: We wish you a good day today from Alec Quequesah and Johnny Arlee, Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Arlee Celebration Committee and from all the committee members. The 114th celebration will open on Tuesday, July 3rd with Camper's Day and the Memorial. The celebration will continue through Sunday, July 8th. Although July 4th falls on a Wednesday this year, the Snake Dance and the honoring of the Veterans, will be held, as always, on the 4th of July. This year we will to add a Walk/Run to our celebration. We will hold the Old Style day, to share different dances and songs. A parade will take place on the celebration grounds and we invite you to take part in the parade. Dress in your best outfits, get your Pendleton blankets ready to cover your vehicles in the parade, get your horses ready, cowboy style and Indian style, for the parade. Help us make this a great parade. The dance competition and drumming competition will take place on July 6th, 7th and 8th, and as always, these days will bring out champion dancers and drummers and singers. The Arlee Celebration Committee will be choosing a Miss Salish Pend d' Oreille and encourage you young ladies to run for this honor. We will also be honoring four of our elders this year for the work they do to preserve our language and our culture. The Arlee Celebration Committee always welcomes extra help with the organizing and working throughout the powwow. Contact any of the committee members if you wish to join the committee or help in any way. We will be holding a Silent Auction during the celebration and will accept donations for this event. Any help you can give us to continue to hold an eventful celebration is appreciated. If you have any questions, please contact any committee member.

January 24, 2012

Powwow Dates for 2012

The 114th Arlee Powwow Dates are confirmed to be Tuesday, July 3, 2012 through Sunday, July 8, 2012

January 1, 2012

Happy New Year

A new year begins