By: Ramona Almanza 

Always a mainstay in the local pow-wow community, the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club can always be counted on to be of assistance to the Comanche Nation. Whether it is putting on a benefit pow-wow for those in emergency need or to help co-host a pow-wow, the Oklahoma Gourd Club can be counted on to assist in anyway that they can.

     The Oklahoma Gourd Dance Clube was first organinzed in 1998, when two men, Butch Tahsequah and Dwight Littlecreek, started talking about how they like to gourd dance. At the time, powwow programs were split half and half, it was rarely heard of to have an all-gourd program. From the love of gourd dancing, Tahsequah and Littlecreek, began The Oklahoma Gourd Dancing Club. With their wives, Linda Tahsequah and Sherry Littlecreek by their sides and ready to help them, the Oklahoma Gourd Club was started with a handful of members.

     With a respect to all tribes the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club has an open membership; anyone, from not just the Comanche Nation can join. The members are from many tribes; Kiowa, Caddo, Apache, Choctaw, Seminole, and Arapaho and Cheyenne Tribes. The members of the club number 60 and are not only from all around the State of Oklahoma but Texas, New Mexico, and Arkansas.

     The first powwow was held at the Ft. Sill Indian School Footbal Field. For then on, the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club's three day annual is always held the first weekend in June. Even now, when most families and organizations that started with a three-day powwow have cut theirs down to a two day powwow. The only two things the club has cut down on through the years have been their head staff. The club used to have two of every head staff position until the members decided to keep it down to one head staff position. The other thing that has changed in thrie annual powwow is their sponsoring of the dance contests. The dance contests are only held if they are sponsored. To raise the money for their annual powwow, the club starts holding their benefit powwow in January till May. But, the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club will put on a powwow if the need is there to help raise money for a family who finds themselves in dire straits. Such as was the case for a family who lost all their possessions in a house fire, the club saw a need and were there to help the family. Not only is the club there to help in time of disasters, but the club can be counted on the help a family celebrate the good times a family has, such as a soldier coming home from over seas. Though the club is in demand to be co-host a powwow and are booked up to three months in advance, if there is a need to help the Oklahoma Gourd Dance Club will be one of the first there to help.