By MECHELE COOPER

Staff Writer

Ellie Symonevich banged her mallet on a drum while American Indian re-enactors stepped in time to the native beat at the annual Togus powwow that honors veterans.

The "Veterans Powwow" was sponsored by the Warriors Spirit, a nonprofit organization, along with American Legion Post 205 in Augusta. Money raised at the event benefited the Togus Veterans Affairs Medical Center volunteer services program.

Dancers and drummers performed throughout the day, many holding on to dance fans made of turkey, owl and hawk feathers that they held high in honor of special people.

Symonevich, of Waterville, who works with special needs children, is a member of the Red Hawk Medicine Drum, a group of women drummers from the Waterville area.

They encircled a large hide-covered drum under a tent on the sidelines and played for the circle of dancers on a grassy enclosure behind the hospital complex.

Not everyone who participates in the powwows has a direct ancestral line to an American Indian tribe.

Dressed in Native American garb and her hair braided, Symonevich said she is proud to perform at the powwow to honor vets.

"Whether we agree about the war or not, we support our vets," Symonevich said during a break from beating on the drum an chanting. She said she has done her research and believes she is a member of the Abanaki tribe.

Bob Baxter, one of the organizers, said the dancing and singing in American Indian fashion has a spiritual element that is not lost on the veterans involved in the ceremonies or on their colleagues at the hospital.

American Indian dancers and drummers at Togus on Saturday came from all over the country, he said.

Vicki Morning Star Wilson of Bowdoinham, was a member of another drumming group called the Sacred Spirits. She sang and rattled alongside her son Gary Lone Wolf Stevens.

A member of the Lakota tribe, according to the stories her mother told her, Wilson loves participating in the powwow.

"It's the only one in Maine specifically for veterans," Wilson said. "My dad is retired army and I have seven brothers who retired from the Navy and two more who served."

Carl Smith of Hallowell, a member of the Maine Army National Guard for 27 years, said the crowd on Saturday was fantastic. Smith, assistant coordinator, couldn't say how many people attended the event each year because they come and go throughout the day, but everyone was having a good time.

"We're giving as much as we can for those who have given as much or all that they could for their country -- those brothers of ours who did not come back," Smith said. "No matter what uniform we wear we all bleed red."

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com