NATCHEZ — Judie Aitken came to the first Natchez Powwow 28 years ago, and throughout that the years has only missed one.

Judie Aitken, whose artwork work has appeared on the posters and T-shirts, died this past year after making her final Natchez Powwow in the spring.

The Grand Village of the Natchez Indians will honor her life and artwork at this years’ powwow, set for Saturday and Sunday.

“We are going to display her work throughout the spring as well,” said village director Lance Harris. “She was quite talented as an artist, almost a renaissance woman in that respect.

“She was a singer, writer and dancer as well as a painter.”

Aitken, originally from Montreal, Canada, would make a pilgrimage to Natchez each year not only for the powwow, but for the city she had fallen in love with.

Powwow Committee Chairman Chuck Borum met her back at the first event, which was held at Liberty Park Balloon Race weekend in 1988.

“She inspired me,” he said of the woman who had been the head female dancer in 2001. “She gave me the confidence to keep putting the powwow on in Natchez. When times were hard, I would think of at least one person who would miss it.”

Not only was the powwow special to Aitken, but so was Natchez.

“She and her friend, Faith Fenner, would come down early every year,” Borum said. “She would visit the houses, the pageant and take part in the pilgrimage.

“She and Faith had Victorian houses they liked to look at every year to see who was in them or if they were for sale. I think it’s just something they liked thinking about.”

Borum said her artwork really captures the Native American feel. Aitken was part Mohawk, but she liked to paint and express more of the Southern Plains style.

“She’s particularly good with the dancers,” Borum said. “For a period of time there, we’d have her rotate male dancer, then female dance, and then male dancer again for the T-shirts.

“She was really good at capturing specific styles. The styles are all similar, but there were categories and components that she could bring out.”

Borum will be contributing 20 pieces of Aitken’s, but Fenner will also be bringing down a few, including the new work of art that will go on the T-shirts this year.

One new thing that the powwow will be doing this year is contrasting style singers, Borum said.

“We have a group from Oklahoma coming down to sing in Osage Indian style, which is Southern Plains Style.” he said. “There will also be a group from Ohio who will be singing in the Northern Plains Style.”

A whole group of Otoe decent from Red Rock, Okla., will also be bringing a gourd dance organization.

Should the weather permit, Harris said one of the most fun things might be the stickball tournament.

“Have you ever seen Lacrosse?” Harris asked. “It’s kind of like that but even more violent — it’s often called the little brother of war.

“It’s a historical game that the Natchez people played, and we’ll have some decedents here playing. We’re also expecting a group of Choctaw Indians to participate.”

Admission to the powwow is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

“Even though the Natchez Indians have not been here for 300 years in full force, I think its wonderful that we are still able to honor that tradition today,” Harris said. “I hope people coming will be able to see a people that are alive and dynamic. Though they have their traditional ways, they are a part of contemporary society.”

Craft and food booths will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday.

On Saturday, the first gourd dance will be at 1 p.m., followed by the grand entry and intertribal dancing at 2 p.m. That pattern will repeat during the evening at 7 and on Sunday afternoon at 1.

Should the weather be uncooperative, the event will be at Trinity School.

“We’ve been blessed over the years to have good weather.” Borum said. “There was only one time we had to hold it in doors, and we still had a good. We had a lot of fun singing and dancing.”