FORT KENT – The drumming and song signaled the start of the annual Wesget Sipu Pow Wow along the banks of the Fish and St. John rivers Friday afternoon.

The free event runs noon-4 p.m. through Sunday.

Representatives from American Indian tribes from Maine, New England and elsewhere in the United States, along with tribes from Canada, are gathering in Fort Kent to share their traditions and cultures with area residents.

“This is a spiritual and cultural gathering of nations,” Donat Cyr, Wesget Sipu chief, said Friday as the opening ceremonies were getting under way.

Wesget Sipu, which Cyr explained translates into Fish River, is a designated clan descended from the Micmac and Maliseet tribes of northern Maine and western New Brunswick.

Such official classification seemed to matter little to Cyr and other tribal members who were on hand for the three days of celebrations.

“We really hope people talk about our culture and our history,” Cyr said. “We all have the same roots and all come from the same place, [and] we are all descendents of Mother Earth.”

Cyr, with former Wesget Sipu Chief Carroll Theriault, led a ceremonial procession into a sacred circle as the event began.

To the steady beat of native drums, members of the Wesget Sipu were joined by representatives from the Micmac, Maliseet, Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Apache, Huron, Cherokee and Chippewa tribes as they solemnly marched in holding sacred objects and symbols of their people.

“I’ve come to dance for the people,” a Maliseet man calling himself Spirit of the Bear said. “My spirit comes alive when I dance, and by dancing we can banish bad memories and be uplifted.”

He wasn’t the only one in Fort Kent there to share his gifts.

Roger Lame Owl traveled from Belfast with his flute.

“I’ve been coming for years and I keep coming back,” Lame Owl said. “It’s a spiritual thing; it’s the same as going to church.”

Wesget Sipu subchief Cathie Baker looks at the weekend as equal parts celebration and education.

“For us it’s not only about showing our heritage,” Baker said. “It’s about our trying to educate people on our culture.”

Many people, Baker said, still cling to misconceptions about tribal heritage and history.

“It’s extremely important for people to gather like this,” Baker said. “We can all learn from each other.”

The site of the powwow is no accident, she said.

What is now Fort Kent’s Riverside Park was for generations, Baker said, a popular trading place for tribal communities.

“This is an historical meeting place,” she said. “We are on a spot where people came together to barter and trade and celebrate.”

Leslie Adkins has been coming as a non-native to the event for eight years. She and her husband, James Bitely, own Wilderness Crafts in Abbot, and their booth offered an array of native-inspired crafts, including beadwork and carved deer antlers.

“This is really a nice social gathering,” Adkins said. “The people of Fort Kent are pretty cool and the town treats us real nice.”

Next to Adkins, Amy Dennis and her mother, Betty Joseph, both of the Houlton Band of Maliseets, were setting up their concession stand.

“I love coming to these gatherings,” Dennis said. “You see people you have not seen for a year.”

Her mother, a tribal elder, welcomes the opportunity to share her culture with non-natives.

“We want people to know who we are,” Joseph said. “We hope they will take the spirit home with them and understand what we are all about.”

Lame Owl has a similar wish.

“It’s all about sharing,” he said.