Photos: Utah Lt. Gov. Henderson visits Towaoc before Bear Dance

Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson, left, joins the annual Bear Dance on the Ute Mountain Ute reservation Friday in White Mesa, Utah. (Courtesy Lt. Gov. Deidre M. Henderson, vita Twitter)

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson visited the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council Friday in Towaoc, then joined the annual Bear Dance after a tour of the White Mesa reservation in Utah.

“Prayer and medicine. Songs and community,” Henderson said in a tweet. “I was deeply honored to join Ute Mountain Ute Chairman Manuel Heart for the White Mesa Bear Dance. I was surprisingly bad at it,” she added.

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe holds the White Mesa Bear Dance Sept. 2-5.

The cultural celebration takes place in the reservation of community White Mesa, south of Blanding. The four-day event is open to the public, and signs will guide visitors to the Bear Dance Corral.

On Sept. 2 at 10 a.m. dancing begins and continues throughout the festival. It involves people singing and playing of the Growler, an instrument that depicts the sound of a bear. A wooden box with a metal top is banged on to represent thunder.

There are additional events as well.

On Sept. 3, the Bear Dance walk begins at 8 a.m. from the White Mesa Recreation Center. Registration is at 7 a.m.On Sept. 3, the Handgame Tournament begins at 2:30 p.m. Registration opens at 11 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. Contact Sophia Box at (970) 560-3608 for more information.On Sept. 5, the Bear Dance goes from 10 a.m. and ends at sundown. A community feast begins at noon next to the Powwow Fairgrounds.

The White Mesa Bear Dance Chiefs are Jack Cantsee Jr., Tallas Cantsee, Aldean Ketchum, and Eric Wells.