First Time Ever – Hat and Boot Dance at Black Hills Pow Wow

Posted By Toyacoyah Brown October 27th, 2014 Last Updated on: October 27th, 2014

According to a South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) show, Lakota teen Sabrina Pourier from Rapid City is the first person in the history of the Black Hills Pow Wow to introduce the “Hat and Boot Dance” into the annual event’s huge arena. The dance style pays homage to the long Lakota relationship with the horse along with their link to cowboy hats, chaps, lariats and boots…which traces back more than one-hundred years.

Here's some video that YouTube user Jonathan Hawk captured at the event

Stephen Yellowhawk, board president of the Black Hills Pow Wow Association, spoke with SDPB about the new dance style

“First time I saw it was at a Pow Wow in Montana,” Yellowhawk recalls. “Just demonstrates the old cowboy turning into dancer…and then the tradition of that. My grandfather…he’s a cowboy and wears a cowboy hat and boots and sometimes, you know, when you’re in a hurry or whatnot…you’ll see half-dressed trying to get into Grand Entry. Half wearing an outfit and some cowboy stuff. But there’s a very huge mix between the two. And you see a lot of rodeo people that are dancers and you know…they love being cowboys and having that part of life…plus experiencing culture. So it’s kind of a cool mix and it demonstrates someone’s personality…their individuality as a dancer and as a cowboy.”

For more on the story, including a short audio clip with Sabrina Pourier, please visit South Dakota Public Broadcasting

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