Tamkaliks gears up for 33rd year of dancing, drumming, feasting

Published 6:00 am Thursday, July 10, 2025

WALLOWA — It’s July in the Wallowa Valley, but organizers of the 33rd annual Tamkaliks celebration are hoping it’ll be cooler this year than last.

The mercury climbed up into the triple digits last year, forcing some of the events to be put off until evening, said Nancy Crenshaw, the chief organizers of the intertribal gathering.

Before Tamkaliks takes place, a work day is planned July 12 from 9 a.m. to noon to get the Homeland Project ready for the event. Crenshaw said a free lunch will be served to workers. The Homeland Project is just outside the town of Wallowa and across the Wallowa River.

But hot or not, Tamkaliks will go on July 18-20. The event gets its name from the Nimiipuu word meaning “from where you can see the mountains,” Crenshaw said, referring primarily to the Wallowa and the Blue mountains.

There’s the usual roster of dancing, drumming and eating, she said, but this year the special event will be the Men’s Ermine and Horn Headdress Special dance. That’s open to men 18 and older who have the correct type of headdress.

“We always have a special that changes every year,” she said.

Opening the event Saturday morning, July 19, will be the horse procession that symbolizes the Nez Perce’s return to their homeland, which all of the Wallowa Valley once was.

Crenshaw noted this is more than a symbolic gesture, as the tribe is making progress in reclaiming some of its land in the valley, with the cooperation of non-Indians.

“There’s getting to be a ‘land-back’ policy where people are returning the land to the original inhabitants,” she said, and the tribe’s been quite gracious in accepting it emphasizing friendship between Indians and non-Indians.

There will be a wide variety of dances and drumming July 19. Drum groups from all over the nation are welcomed. Crenshaw said they even have some from Canada. She said she’s not aware of any drum groups from Wallowa County, but others come from the main Nez Perce Reservation in Lapwai, Idaho; Nespelem, Washington, where the Joseph Band settled after being driven out of the Wallowa Country; and from the Oregon reservations of the confederated tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation near Pendleton and Warm Springs in Western Oregon.

“They’re from all over,” she said. “It’s intertribal. All drum groups are welcome.”

Dance groups, too, come from all over. They’re more individuals who participate in men’s and women’s dances at various age levels.

The dances are led by a whip man or a whip woman who carry a whip and control the timing of the dances, as well as ensure proper behavior is maintained.

“They make sure protocol is being followed,” Crenshaw said.

On July 17 the parachute will be put up on the arboretum and all are welcome to help with that, she said.

Fred Hill, chairman of the Tamkaliks Committee, will be the emcee of the dances and other activities in the arboretum. Crenshaw said he’s been doing it for many years.

But Tamkaliks is far from an “Indians-only” gathering, as many non-Natives are there, too, she said. In fact, it started as a community gathering at Wallowa High School. And there are remnants of the community-wide celebration, she said, such as the 15-20 garage sales throughout the town at the same time as Tamkaliks. She said during pauses or breaks in the activities at the Homeland, people can visit some of the garage sales.

“That’s kind of fun, I think,” she said.

A variety of vendors also come, mostly food booths featuring tasty treats such as Indian fried bread and Mexican food.

Sponsors are sought for various dances or drum groups. The teen dance costs $75 to sponsor and the men’s dance $300. Individuals or businesses are urged to sponsor dances or drum groups.

She said anyone interested in sponsoring can call her at 541-398-1112 or the Homeland office at 928-210-1032.

Crenshaw has been at or near the helm of organizing Tamkaliks nearly from its inception and is about ready to step down.

“I’m trying to retire, but so far nobody’s been fighting for the job,” she said.

Still, memories of last year’s sizzling temperatures remain.

“We’re hoping for not-too-hot weather,” Crenshaw said.