By WIL PHINNEY | The CUJ
PENDLETON — Acosia Red Elk, a 10-time world champion jingle dress dancer, will again serve as head women’s dance judge at the Two Cultures, One Community powwow, scheduled for Feb. 27–28 and March 1 at the Pendleton Convention Center.
Red Elk said it is an honor to return to the role at what she described as a growing, high-profile event on the powwow circuit.
“TCOC puts us on the map for big professional productions,” she said. “It’s contemporary, competitive and entertaining.”
Red Elk is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a descendant of Chief Joseph Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt. Her Yakama name, Acosia, means “young swan rising from the water.”
She began jingle dress dancing at age 16 and has spent nearly 30 years competing at powwows across the United States and Canada, as well as performing internationally.
As head judge, Red Elk will not score dancers directly. Instead, she oversees the judges who evaluate women competitors in the traditional, jingle, and fancy shawl categories based on technique, style, regalia and overall presentation.
“My job is to keep the judging fair for all dancers,” she said.
Red Elk selects judges from different regions to ensure a range of stylistic knowledge. The role requires long hours and careful attention to avoid conflicts of interest.
Red Elk is among the most accomplished dancers on the powwow circuit. She won five world championship titles at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 2004 to 2008, with additional wins in 2011, 2014 and 2015. She also won a jingle dress world title in Connecticut and claimed another world championship at the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in 2016. She won the jingle dress contest again at the 2022 Gathering of Nations.
After decades of competition, Red Elk said her focus has shifted.
“I don’t feel the need to compete anymore,” she said. “Now I go to dance, not to win.”
Today, she is frequently hired as part of the powwow head staff, serving as a head judge or head dancer.
Beyond powwows, Red Elk works in advocacy, wellness and performance. She incorporates Indigenous teachings into her yoga practice and has led retreats and performances across the United States and internationally.
In 2024, she received a Doris Duke Artist Award, which provides $525,000 over seven years in unrestricted funding. The award helped her establish 7GEN, a dance-theater and wellness collective in downtown Pendleton. The group blends Indigenous movement, yoga and performance and is based in the former First Interstate Bank building.
Red Elk said a key goal of her work is to mentor young tribal members.
“I want to teach youth how to powwow dance and how to present dance in a theatrical way,” she said. “And then I want them to see the world.”
Red Elk said she is proud to return home to serve as head judge.
“It’s good for Pendleton to see contemporary Native dance and how powwow dancing has evolved,” she said.
