Members of the Keller 4-H Culture Club hosted a Coming Out Powwow and Give-away at the Keller Elementary School in Keller, Washington, on May 8, 2009. Nine boys and girls made their Native American dance debut for an audience of community members and students from a neighboring school. Attendees and special guests were given gifts from each of the new dancers, who performed their chosen type of dance. Although the traditional, fancy, grass, and jingle dances were solos, everyone in the audience was encouraged to participate in the intertribal dances.

The Keller 4-H Culture Club meets twice a month after school. Since the club originated in 2007, 4-H members, leaders, and community volunteers have worked on designing, creating, and sewing the traditional native regalia for Native American dances. All of the 4-H Culture Club members say that membership makes them feel “good, safe, and happy.” Sequoia Cobos, 2nd grade; Emalia Alyssa Michel, 3rd grade; and Felicity Kheel, 5th grade, report the most important things they have learned are earning and giving respect. Anthony Kheel, 7th grade, is the only male traditional dancer in the Club. He is mentored by Montee Nelson, a 24-year-old traditional dancer who Anthony “enjoys learning to dance from.”

Since their debut, the Keller 4-H Culture Club has accepted invitations to dance at the Colville Reservation Elders’ dinner, the Nespelem School Powow, and the Sunflower Festival at the Paschal Sherman Indian School. Club members will participate in the performing arts competition at the Ferry County Fair held in Republic, Washington, from September 4 to 6. They will also perform exhibition dances for the public and show their creative native arts projects during the Ferry County Fair.

The Keller Culture Club has 12 members currently enrolled, 9 of which dance. Other Club activities include tanning deer hides for moccasins, singing and drumming traditional songs, gathering and preparing traditional foods, listening to and re-telling traditional stories, and creating traditional handcrafts.

The Keller 4-H Culture Club is led by 4-H leaders Kari Neal and Dolly Brudevold and 4-H volunteer Barb
Herman. They are part of the WSU Colville Reservation– Ferry County Extension 4-H program, which is
overseen by WSU Ferry County Director/Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program Project Director
Dan Fagerlie and WSU Colville Reservation–Ferry County Extension 4-H Coordinator Linda McLean.

If you are interested in joining the Keller 4-H Culture Club, please contact Dan Fagerlie (509) 775-5235, fagerlie @wsu.edu; or Linda McLean (509) 634-2304, ljmclean@wsu.edu.