“When I dance, I don’t think of anything — just my mind,” said Rodriguez, of Goldfield. “My body goes. We listen to the songs as they drum. We see the drum as a heartbeat every time it goes off. It comes within ourselves when we hear the drumming, the singing. When we dance, we are praying.”

Rodriguez is part of the Lipan Apache Tribe based in central Texas.

And he is helping to organize a pow wow at the Fort Museum and Frontier Village on June 6 for the annual Frontier Days celebration. Grand entry is from noon to 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Cost $5 which excludes dancers and staff.

A pow wow features Native American tribes dressed in vibrant beaded outfits. Participants of all backgrounds are welcome. And together they sing and dance throughout the festivities.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Danny Rodriguez, of Goldfield, poses for a portrait in his dance outfit. Rodriguez will be at the Frontier Days Pow Wow on June 6.

The event became a reality when Rodriguez met Terry Cook, the organizer for Frontier Days.

The two met at A Plus Auto Glass, where Rodriguez was having some windows fixed on his truck.

“I had some music playing on a CD in my vehicle and when they were working on it, they turned on the vehicle and one of the pow wow songs came on,” Rodriguez recalled.

Cook happened to hear the sound and introduced himself to Rodriguez.

“We talked back and forth and we both thought it would be neat to have a pow wow here,” Cook said. “I guess I was in the right place at the right time.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Stivaly Whitecloud Rodriguez, of Goldfield, shows the shawl that she wears during dances at pow wows. She will be dancing and competing at the Frontier Days Pow Wow on June 6.

Cook can’t wait to see all of the colors on display.

“Some of the outfits are just unbelievable,” Cook said.

A majority of the clothing items are beaded. Rodriguez wears necklaces, cuffs, side tabs, a tie and headwear made out of porcupine tail.

Rodriguez is a grass dancer, a type of dancer that originated from the Northern Plains, he said.

“There have been stories told that grass dancers were people who would get the arena ready and stomp the grass down to get ready for pow wows,” Rodriguez said. “They have the grass dancers come in and stomp the ground to get it ready.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jerry Purselley, at left, keeps in time with his godfather, Danny Rodriguez, both of Goldfield. The two will be at the Frontier Days Pow Wow on June 6.

Joining Rodriguez at the pow wow will be his godson, Jerry Purselley, 19, and daughter, Stivaly Whitecloud Rodriguez, 20.

Stivaly will be the head lady for the pow wow.

That means she will be the first one to start dancing when the drum sounds.

Her type of dancing is called fancy shawl.

In the dance, she spreads her wings like a butterfly.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jerry Purselley, at right, Stivaly Whitecloud Rodriguez, at left, along with and Danny Rodriguez, center, and Jerry Purselley get into their dance outfits. The outfits are the results of many hours of hand craftsmanship. The three will be at the Frontier Days Pow Wow on June 6.

“When they are dancing, they are soaring,” she said.

She’s looking forward to meeting people of all ages.

“It’s family-friendly,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what age you are. Young, old. We accept everybody into the circle.”

Drugs, alcohol and firearms are prohibited.

Stivaly enjoys getting people involved in the tradition.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jerry Purselley demonstrates a typical dance move in full regalia. He will be at the Frontier Days Pow Wow on June 6.

“When everybody comes into join us and we dance,” she said. “The performances are heartwarming. Everyone feels welcome.”

Purselley said the performances are his favorite part.

“To come and watch or to join the dance,” Purselley said. “We bring them around the circle and dance with us.”

The pow wow will feature contests including: men’s traditional, men’s fancy, women’s jingle and women’s fancy.

Rodriguez is originally from McAllen, Texas. He moved with his family to the Fort Dodge area to work at Prestage Foods of Iowa in Eagle Grove.

The name of his tribe means light gray people.

Pow wows are an opportunity for Rodriguez to share his heritage.

“We meet tribes from all over different states,” Rodriguez said. “We go to a lot of pow wows to compete, not just for that. But to keep the culture going. Now that I am up here in Iowa, we still keep the tradition going. We keep dancing. It gives us the opportunity to share our part.”

If you go:

What: Frontier Days Pow Wow

When: June 6

Where: Fort Museum and Frontier Village Opera House, 1 Museum Road

Cost: $5 wristband excluding dancers and staff

• Drugs, alcohol and firearms prohibited