Dressed in red, white, and black regalia, fancy dancer James Bouschor of Sault Ste. Marie makes his way around the dance circle as the Bahweting Drum and Singers from Sault St. Marie perform. The group gathered under a canopy of cedar branches in the center of the circle as dancers moved in a clockwise pattern around them. A mingling of cultures and events steeped in tradition filled the hillside at the Father Marquette Memorial Park in St. Ignace Saturday, August 23, and Sunday, August 24, during the Rendezvous at the Straits French Voyageur Encampment and Powwow.

Native Americans dressed in period clothing and French fur traders walked along the pathways and among spectators, all sharing stories, reliving history, and participating in activities at the encampment.

Music provided by the Bahweting Drum and Singers from Sault Ste. Marie filled the air as families strolled the grounds and enjoyed the brightly colored regalia of dancers and the reenactment camp. They visited more than 20 ethnic food vendors and shopped at the many arts and crafts booths.

Betty Andress of St. Ignace displays a drum she is offering for sale at her trading tent at Rendezvous at the Straits. Her Native American name is Running Water. Years ago, she spotted the drum covered in dust high on a display shelf in a Mackinac Island shop, and three years later, she convinced the owner to sell it to her. Traditional dances were held throughout the weekend. Following the smudging, when sage is burned in the air around the dance ring to offer up good feelings, the Grand Entry began each day. Drummers and singers were positioned under a cedar arbor in the center of the dance circle. Observers, many bringing their own chairs, lined the outside of the circle with cameras ready as dancers flowed from the entrance.

Master of ceremonies Jody Gaskin let those gathered know when photographs were not permitted. Certain things, he said, are to be remembered in the heart and mind, and not on paper. He also provided the onlookers with information about dances and their meaning, and when time permitted, he offered stories of Native American history.

Honoring women through traditional dance are Bea Jackson (from left) of Mount Pleasant, Frances Dutcher of Cedarville, and Denise Burnworth of West Branch. The ceremony honored veterans, and dances included the men's tradition dance, men's grass dance, and men's fancy dance.

Participating in the fancy dance, James Bouschor of Sault Ste. Marie is one of a few, if not the only, fancy dancers from the Eastern Upper Peninsula. He has been competing at powwows around the Midwest for more than eight years. Meeting new people, seeing old friends, and spending time with family is what he enjoys most, he said, and his dance offers that opportunity.

Another ceremonial dance honors women. Denise Burnworth traveled to St. Ignace from West Branch to participate in the powwow, and danced in the women's dance.

"It makes me glad to be a proud Anishinabe woman," she said. [The dance] "represents respect, honor, and that women are a main source of life and nurturing and the passing down of the wisdoms."

Dancing beside her was Frances Dutcher.

At right: Dressed in striking regalia, head male dancer Richard Lewis pauses to watch younger tribal dancers during the Rendezvous at the Straits French Voyageur Encampment and Powwow Saturday, August 23, in St. Ignace. His regalia of fur, leather, cloth, and feathers is adorned with beaded head and arm bands of bright red, yellow, and sky blue. He holds a multicolored dance stick. "It's all about family," he said.

Brothers Carl Andress of St. Ignace and Don "Duck" Andress of Mackinac Island also participated in dances. Don Andress, a veteran who served during the Korean War, carried the Canadian flag during open- ing ceremonies. Dressed in native garb, he also participated in other dances.

Dancing, he said, continues a tradition of Native Americans, as it is passed from one generation to another.

"We're doing the same things our grandfathers did," he said. "We're following the traditions of our ancestors."

Throwing a tomahawk at a circular target of wood, Mallory Curtis, 12, of Sault Ste. Marie, said she competes in throwing around the state and began learning to throw the tool when she was three years old. Everyone has their own way of throwing, she said. A technique that works for her is to rock back and forth three or four times. Then, she releases the tomahawk with full body force. As she demonstrates, the tomahawk hits the wood hard, and stays.

Portraying an unlicensed French trader, Larry Horrigan (left) of Hopkins discusses the history of Native Americans and the cultural impact of trade with Leo Terrian of Mackinaw City, representing a Northern Woodland Ojibwa. An onlooker follows her lead, aims, throws - and the tomahawk bounces off the wood and falls to the ground. Discouraged, he admits it is not as easy as it looks. More people try, some more successful than others.

Throwing a tomahawk requires a lot of practice, said Chad Keiser of Mackinaw City. A Native American reenactor, he began throwing about three weeks ago and is still learning. He is skilled with a bow and arrow. Both of his bows are handmade.

Standing in the encampment area, two reenactors, Native American Leo Terrian of Mackinaw City and French trader Larry Horrigan of Hopkins, said they were participating in a "crosscultural exchange." The men were discussing the impact of trade on the Native American culture.

At left: Taking careful aim with his handmade bow is Chad Keiser of Mackinaw City. He has been a reenactor for two years. He also has spent the last three weeks learning to throw a tomahawk. With a tomahawk in hand, watching Mr. Keiser, is Mallory Curtis, 12, of Sault Ste. Marie. Miss Curtis has been throwing the tomahawk since she was three years old. Portraying an unlicensed fur trader visiting the Straits area from Fort St. Joseph, Mr. Horrigan said he was seeking beaver pelts.

"Beaver hides here are like no other place in the world," he said. Years ago, he said, the beaver belt was the most in demand of all animal fur offered by Native Americans, including deer and bear hides.

The French, he said, traded metal, guns, knives, kettles, rings, blankets, and ready-made clothing for the beaver belts.

Appreciating a close-up look at an endangered barn owl named Belfry are Kimberly Dorow (from left) of Davison, and Maribel Janeczek, 7, and her sister, Maria Janeczk, 12, of Onaway. Alison Falldin, a raptor care and education specialist with NorthWings of SEE-North of Harbor Springs, wears a protective glove as she provides a perch for Belfry. The animal was displayed at Rendezvous at the Straits in St. Ignace. Those items, Mr. Terrian said, made life easier for Native Americans. Once they had used metal tools to chop down a tree, he said, it was difficult to go back to using stone tools.

The two men surmised that trading with the French and the tools Native Americans received played an important role in changing the Native American culture. Also taking part in the events were the NorthWings of SEENorth of Harbor Springs, which offers educational programs on birds of prey. The organization gave people a close-up look at birds rarely seen, including a screech owl, although a rare barn owl named Belfry captured the most attention.

Alison Falldin presented Belfry. The one-pound bird perched on her protected arm, peering at observers as closely as they looked at him.

Barn owls, said Ms. Falldin, are an endangered species in Michigan. Man is the predominate enemy of the barn owl, she said, and in the wild, 75% of the owls do not live one year. The birds live longer in captivity and at 10 years old, Belfry already has passed the average age of seven years for barn owls.

The weekend event was coordinated by Darryl Brown, working with the St. Ignace Special Events Committee and was sponsored by the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the St. Ignace Chamber of Commerce, the Michilimackinac Historical Society, St. Ignace Visitors Bureau, and Kewadin Casinos.