The sounds of the host drums boomed off the walls and reverberated in the hearts of all who were present at this year’s Powwow. The Powwow is put on by Multicultural Student Union (MSU) and includes so much more than just the campus community. The Powwow is free and open to all ages and walks of life. The word powwow is derived from Native American words pouwau or pauwa that was mispronounced by settlers. A powwow is a inter-tribal meeting in which dancing and singing are common. Even now a powwow brings together a strong sense of community and togetherness.
This year’s Powwow included dances and dance competitions for all age groups, and even inter-tribal dancing located in the Pacific Room of the Werner University Center (WUK). With the dancing came beautifully made traditional or semi-traditional clothing that was phenomenal and interactive, the youngest dancers even wore beautifully made clothing.
The artwork of the clothing however could only compare to the artwork of the dances. It was easy to see the dedication to the dances even the youngest dancers were highly skilled and paired with the traditional clothing only became more elegant. Though as with many things with age comes proficiency and the grass dance by the adult men was thrilling. The inter-tribal dance was riddled with bells and so many different faces, footwork, and types of dress it only reminds us that no matter how far we have come home is not that away, it is where the heart is.
Outside of the room were the Powwow there was a raffle table where you could win some interesting prizes everything from store bought blankets to hand made paintings, but this wasn’t the only way to get unique things. Just down the hall there was an array of vendors set up where you could buy interesting wears, everything from handmade jewelry to extremely ornate bead-work and even a cup of soup to accompany you as you perused all of the unique artwork.
Overall this year’s Powwow was beautiful, interactive and inclusive. It was nice to see that a lot of the people whom attended Powwow events regularly knew each other by name. A Powwow is a good place for tribes-people to meet and the general public to be educated. If you missed it this year then be sure to check it out next year for great free fun and an opportunity to learn more about Native American culture.
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