Indigenous People’s Day Celebration
The sounds and movement of Potawatomi tradition return to downtown Goshen during the Indigenous People’s Celebration on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi anchors this year’s program, presented by the Community Relations Commission and Goshen First Fridays.
Madalene BigBear will guide the evening, with the Iron Bear Singers and Dancers bringing traditional song and dance to the First Fridays crowd.
The celebration runs from 6-8 p.m. and begins with a brief dedication recognizing a much older path through downtown Goshen.
Luke Gascho and Eileen Saner will dedicate a sign marking the Potawatomi-Miami Trail, or Bodéwadmi-Myaamia Trail. The route once stretched from Fort Wayne to Chicago.
For hundreds of years, Potawatomi and Miami people traveled the trail between the Maumee River and Lake Michigan. White settlers later followed the route into Elkhart County.
Indigenous People’s Celebration features Iron Bear Singers and Dancers
Madalene BigBear
Madalene BigBear, a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi, will emcee the evening.
BigBear is a Géknomaget, or “helper,” dedicated to preserving and advancing Bodwéwadmi customs and traditions. Her work strengthens cultural identity within her nation’s homelands and builds relationships with surrounding communities.
Iron Bear Singers and Dancers
The Iron Bear Singers come from several nations represented within the Chicago Treaty territory.
Sterling BigBear III, Ponca/Ihanktonwan, keeps the Iron Bear pow wow drum, named for his grandfather. The singers carry songs across Turtle Island that connect Indigenous communities.
The dancers bring those songs to life through traditions carried forward across generations.
Video: A look back at the 2025 celebration
Goshen’s 2025 Indigenous Peoples’ Day Celebration took place at Ignition Music Garage during the First Fridays Harvest Festival.
BigBear and the Iron Bear Singers and Dancers shared Indigenous culture, traditions, music and history with the community.
The program also recognized the Potawatomi and Miami people as the original caretakers of the land. Local organizations provided additional resources on Indigenous history and culture.