Pow Wow Comedy Jam

Pow Wow Comedy Jam entertains Coeur d’Alenes

By Jack McNeelThe three comedians who make up Pow Wow Comedy Jam kept the crowd in almost continuous laughter during their 90 minute show at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. It was easy to understand why they had been named the 2010 National Indian Gaming Association’s Entertainers of the Year.

Marc Yaffee says he’s a “Mexi-jo,” that’s Mexican, Irish and Navajo. Howie Miller is Cree from the Paul Band in Alberta and Vaughn Eaglebear, nicknamed “The Frybread Assassin,” is from the Colville Reservation. “My mom’s Colville and dad’s a Sioux,” he said. Together they make up Pow Wow Comedy Jam.

Yaffee opened the show saying, “We’re going to party like it’s 1491.” His rapid fire, high intensity form of comedy seemed to mesh with Eaglebear’s more unconventional, thought-provoking style of one-liners and the two of them joined forces in 2004 after tossing around some ideas of doing a Native tour. That began in 2005 and they had various third members of the group before meeting Miller during taping of “Showtime Going Native.”Comment:  For more on Native comedy, see Charlie Hill at One Nation Rally and JR Redwater Battles Suicide Rate.