WELLS — Instead of typical harbor sounds last weekend, drumbeats from the 14th annual Val Ranco Memorial Pow Wow filled the salty air at Wells Harbor Community Park.

Presented by the New Hampshire Intertribal Native American Council, the event featured dancing, music, craft vendors, food and storytelling. It also had representation from as many as 40 New England Tribes, according to emcee and retired Chief of Council Peter Newell.

The Pow Wow is in honor of Valentine E. Ranco, who passed away in June 2008 at age 96. She was born on the Penobscot Indian Reservation in Old Town, and at the time of her death was the oldest member of the tribe. Ranco owned and operated the Indian Moccasin Shop on Route 1 in Wells for over 50 years.

Newell has been planning Pow Wows for more than 30 years. He used to do three in the summer and one in the winter, but now does just two in the summer because there are so many Pow Wows, people get overwhelmed with the choices, he said.

More than 500 people attended each day of the Val Ranco Memorial Pow Wow. A large number of different dances are performed, from men and women’s traditional dances to fancy dances and honor dances in memory of loved ones. Dances can be requested by those who want to dance.

Newell said that while there’s no competition at New England Pow Wows, out West, competition dancing is common and the prize money is bountiful, sometimes up to $15,000 per competition.

“It’s like professional baseball or football to us,” Newell said, though he noted that such a high level of competition keeps most people from dancing.

Even though the atmosphere is more relaxed in New England, Newell says the amount of participation in traditional dances still varies.

“The only way it’ll get better is if younger people take an interest,” he said, but with so many distractions like Pokémon Go, it’s hard to compete.”

Not all young people are disinterested in traditional dances, however.

Three young girls – Allanah Gray, Elin Oneill and Alexandria White – participated in a few dances at the Pow Wow. They learned from older dancers, who in turned learned from other dancers, as dances are typically passed down from generation to generation.

Oneill danced a jingle dance in a brightly-colored dress adorned with long bells. She does ballet and a few other forms as well, and Newell called her one of the better young dancers he’s seen.

Gray, who has been dancing since 2007, and White, who has been dancing since she started walking, both like to dance the fancy shawl dance.

“It makes me feel free,” White said.

“You have to dance for people who can’t dance, for people in the military and people you love,” Gray said.

Secretary of Council Elise Fowler sees youth interest as one of the most important functions of Pow Wows, saying, “we’re just different nations that come together” to share culture and customs with the public, but mostly with youth.

This Pow Wow is one of the largest in New England, mostly because of the size of the venue itself, according to Jenni Cluff, Fowler’s daughter. The cost of putting on such a large event is offset by volunteers and a raffle that goes on all weekend. Prizes are donated, and are often handmade.

To help with the cost of transporting the six large drums used in the dance circle, four girls performed a blanket dance each day of the festival, in which each held the corner of a blanket and danced around to all the vendors, whom they asked for donations.

One such vendor, Native Leathers from Depew, New York, collects deerskins and tans them to make items or trade for others to make crafts. They also buy fur at auctions and have hats made out of it. They’ve been in the Pow Wow circuit for 30 years.

Many of the vendors at the Val Ranco Memorial Pow Wow will be at the Legend of the Mustang Intertribal Pow Wow in Biddeford next month.

Cluff says this is not uncommon.

“Sometimes, the only time we see these people are at Pow Wow time,” she said.

For that reason, Newell says the Val Ranco Memorial Pow Wow will continue in the town of Wells “as long as they’ll have us.”