Sho-Ban Festival Kicks Off

In its 48th year, the Shoshone-Bannock Indian Festival is coming back in a big way. It’s just getting underway, but the coordinators are already excited about what is going on.

The traditional music blasting over the Fort Hall festival grounds Thursday afternoon may sound like a Pow-Wow, but the dancing had yet to get underway. Co-coordinator Tino Batt said he is excited to see all of the people come to town and to spread native american culture.

“It is important to bridge that gap between the communities so that we have a better communication and understanding. Just as everyone has family traditions, so do we. Just as everyone has their own language and dialect, so do we. It just makes us all unique but we all have a common ground,” Batt said.

The festival field becomes a common ground for visitors from all over the world. The festival is the fourth largest outdoor festival in the country. Those visitors will fill out the vendor booths with arts and crafts, where some people have already settled.

BaNocka Brunette is one of them. She has been beading all her life, but was nearly blind two years ago due to a rare degenerative eye disease. Since then she has regained some of her eyesight, and all of her ability to bead.

“I’m not sewing as fast and as much as I used to, but you know, I do one or two things a day and keep steady everyday,” Brunette said.

The Sho-Ban tribe is regarded as the best tribe for bead working, and Brunette said she wants to keep that tradition alive, while still challenging herself.

“I try to do something different every year that other people don’t do. … I was teaching my cousin and hopefully she’ll teach her daughter and so forth and so forth,” she said.

The festival continues until Sunday, with the pow-wows starting at 7 p.m. Batt said the best part of the celebrations happen at the end of the night. Admission to the festival is $5 for non-tribe members.