Shakopee, Minnesota - The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC) will hold their annual Wacipi (Pow Wow) Friday through Sunday, August 15, 16, and 17, 2008. The public is invited to experience the beauty and dignity of Native American culture at this event.

The word Wacipi [wah-chee-pee] in the Dakota Language translates as "they dance." A more common meaning is "Pow Wow." A Wacipi is a social gathering where friends and relatives come together to celebrate their way of life and culture and where dancers in their regalia will dance and singers at the drum will sing as their ancestors did before them.

On Thursday, August 14, 2008, the SMSC will hold a Pow Wow Exhibition as a preview to the Pow Wow in the Rotunda at the Mall of America, Bloomington, Minnesota. Sessions will include a Grand Entry and demonstrations of individual dance styles. Sessions are scheduled for 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. Information about SMSC enterprises will also be available throughout the day. The Pow Wow Exhibition is free and open to the public.

For more information on either event call 952-445-8900 or go to www.shakopeedakota.org.

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