6th Annual Native Voices May 5-9
Originally posted on Riverton Ranger website
Central Wyoming College and Native American Jump Start will present “Native Voices: Honoring Indigenous Ways,” a five-day celebration of Indigenous culture, storytelling and living traditions beginning Tuesday, May 5, and concluding Saturday, May 9, with the sixth annual Teton Powwow at the Snow King Events Center in Jackson.
Events will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, May 5-6, in Fremont County, and Wednesday through Saturday, May 6-9, in Jackson. Programming brings together Indigenous filmmakers, visual artists, powwow dancers, cultural educators and community leaders to share perspectives reflecting both the deep history and vibrant present of Indigenous life in the region.
Scheduled ahead of Jackson Hole’s Old West Days, “Native Voices” highlights the historical and contemporary significance of Indigenous peoples in the Greater Yellowstone region and invites residents and visitors to engage with Native stories, traditions and creative expression.
“Central Wyoming College is looking forward to presenting Native Voices in the Jackson area as well as within the Wind River Reservation community,” said Ivan Posey, tribal education coordinator. “This collaboration underscores the importance of educational initiatives – both historical and contemporary – that honor and continue Indigenous narratives.”
Featured film events
Award-winning producer Jhane Myers will return to Wyoming for screenings and discussions of the documentary “Free Leonard Peltier” in both Fremont and Teton counties. The film revisits one of the most significant legal cases involving Native American civil rights, chronicling the decades-long imprisonment of American Indian Movement member Leonard Peltier and the generations of activism surrounding his case.
The documentary premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival shortly after Peltier’s sentence was commuted and invites reflection on justice, history and Indigenous rights.
Featured art exhibition
A centerpiece of Native Voices is “Behind Linear Narratives: Indigenous Plains Ledger Art,” an exhibition exploring the continuum from 19th-century ledger drawings to contemporary Indigenous art and the passing of Indigenous knowledge to future generations.
The exhibition features internationally recognized visual storytellers and father-and-son artists:
• Terrance Guardipee (Blackfeet Nation), a painter and ledger artist known for innovative map-based collage works incorporating antique documents such as historical maps, war ration cards and ledgers from the Blackfeet homeland. His work is featured on the winter 2026 cover of First American Art Magazine and held in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Heard Museum, the Autry Museum and others.
• Terran Last Gun (Piikani Nation/Blackfeet Confederacy), based in Santa Fe, whose work explores color, geometry, land and cosmos through ledger drawing, painting, printmaking and photography. His art bridges Piikani visual language with modern abstraction and is exhibited throughout the United States.
The exhibition is hosted by the Jackson Hole History Museum and runs through Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026.
Native American arts celebration
On Thursday, May 7, the Jackson Hole History Museum, Jackson Hole Art Auction and participating downtown galleries will host “An Evening of Native American Artistry,” a community-wide celebration featuring artist meet-and-greets, special exhibitions and Indigenous food tastings.
Each participating gallery will feature and offer for sale the work of a Native American artist for approximately two weeks, creating opportunities for deeper engagement with the stories behind the art. The event showcases one-of-a-kind works by award-winning sculptors, painters, beadworkers and artists working in both contemporary and traditional forms.
Education and youth engagement
Native Voices includes cultural presentations led by Indigenous educators and leaders. Programming supports Indigenous students through internships, scholarships and educational initiatives, and encourages greater understanding of both historical and present-day Indigenous realities through art, storytelling and youth exchange programs connecting tribal members and public schools.
Culminating event
The celebration concludes with the sixth annual Teton Powwow and Native American Art Market on Saturday, May 9, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Snow King Events Center in Jackson. The event is free and open to the public.
The powwow will welcome participants from more than 60 tribes across the Western United States and will feature Grand Entry, dance competitions, singing, cultural exchange, Native American art vendors and food vendors.
“As a local nonprofit providing financial support to Native people across the region, we are proud to partner with Central Wyoming College to help create cultural awareness of the rich history Indigenous people have played in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” said David Deschenes, chief advancement officer of Native American Jump Start.
Public event schedule highlights
• Tuesday, May 5, Robert A. Peck Arts Center, Central Wyoming College, Riverton
– 5:30 p.m. “Free Leonard Peltier” film screening and discussion with Jhane Myers
– 8 p.m. Q&A, 8:15 p.m. reception and meet and greet
– Free and open to the public
• Wednesday, May 6, Robert A. Peck Arts Center, Central Wyoming College, Riverton
– 5:30 p.m. Robert A. Peck Arts Center, Central Wyoming College, Riverton, “Ledger Art Talk with Terrance Guardipee and Terran Last Gun”
– Free and open to the public
• Thursday, May 7, Jackson
– Town-wide Indigenous art evening and museum exhibition opening (Gallery Wild, 80 West Broadway, Jackson; Gold Mountain Gallery, 55 N. Glenwood St., Jackson; Jackson Hole Art Auction, 130 E. Broadway Ave., Jackson; Maya Frodeman Gallery, 66 S. Glenwood St., Jackson; Al Hubbard’s Exhibit at Shari Brownfield Fine Art, 55 S. Glenwood St., Jackson; Penny Lane, 40 S. Glenwood St., Jackson; West Lives On, 75 N. Glenwood St., Jackson
– Kick-off at the Jackson Hole History Museum
– Free and open to the public
• Saturday, May 9, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Snow King Events Center, Jackson, Teton Powwow and Native American Art Market
For more information, visit https://www.cwc.edu/native-voices/.
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