‘Heartbreaking:’ Wisconsin man in Milwaukee for annual powwow claims his traditional regalia was stolen

By Ellie Nakamoto-White

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    MILWAUKEE (WDJT) — It’s been a decades-long tradition for Brevin Boyd Sr., of Crandon, Wisconsin, to make his way down to Milwaukee each October.

That’s when the annual Hunting Moon Pow Wow takes place, “bringing together a host of Native American cultures for a celebration of singing, drumming and dancing,” according to the event’s website.

“I considered this powwow like my hometown powwow. I’ve been going to this powwow since I was about 11, 12,” Boyd Sr. said.

But on Thursday, around 1 a.m., Boyd Sr. said he headed to the home of his child’s mother.

“Out of nowhere, two males came out of nowhere and jumped me,” Boyd Sr. recalled. “I was in shock by what happened to me.”

That’s when he said he ran away — but in doing so, he lost his powwow regalia.

“A lot of meaningful items that I’ve worked so hard for, just vanished. Gone,” Boyd Sr. said. “It’s really heartbreaking.”

Some of the regalia included dance shirts, ribbon shirts, a porcupine head roach, eagle feathers, and a bustle that was gifted to him from his uncle.

While the monetary cost is somewhere in the tens of thousands, for Boyd Sr., these items and family heirlooms are priceless.

“I look at that as my everything. My outfit? That’s how I make my money. That’s how I represent my kids,” Boyd Sr. said.

After he called the police, Boyd Sr. said he hopes the people responsible will return what’s his.

“I’m hoping that this is going to help to get it back to me somehow, some way,” Boyd Sr. said.

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