On Saturday, December 7, the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center held Native American Indian Powwow to celebrate the Native American culture and heritage. The event featured vendors selling items, Native drumming, dancing and special tribute to the veterans.
Wearing simple T-shirts and jeans, seven men sat in a circle pounding drums while seven others danced to the reverberating beats, dressed in feather headdresses and colorful moccasins.
The scene reflected one of the themes of this year’s Native American Indian Powwow: blending past and present to keep centuries-old traditions alive.
“I get chills every time I hear those drums. I feel as I’ve come home, like I’m being reunited with family I haven’t seen in a while,” said senior management major Aaron McKay, vice president of the university’s American Indian Student Union. “The fact that they can keep sharing their culture gives more life to it.”
The all-day event in Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center on Saturday marked the ninth annual powwow and was part of the Office of Multi-ethnic Student Education’s 40th anniversary celebration.
Because the powwow fell on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day,
memorial events were sprinkled throughout the festivities. During the opening ceremonies, Japanese men and Native American veterans walked together under a decorated arch in a “Bridge of Peace” ritual to symbolize forgiveness between the nations.
Fred Nordhorn, who served during the Vietnam War and whose father fought in World War II, was one of the men who participated.
A member of the Abenaki tribe, Nordhorn dressed in his olive-green army uniform, adorned with the Vermont Veterans Medal. An eagle’s feather, the symbol of a Native American warrior, hung from his hat.
“Dec. 7 adds very much to the significance and impact,” he said of the Bridge of Peace ritual. “The feeling is hard to explain, but I felt that some of my ancestors had a feeling that this needed to be done.”
Later in the afternoon, veterans came together to hold a Military Veterans Honor Circle. Some, like Nordhorn, wore traditional soldier’s attire, while others embraced more of a traditional warrior look, complete with fur capes and pants covered in bells and beads.
The men and women lit incense, cupping the wisps of smoke in their hands and pouring the smoke over their heads. They then sat together and shared stories of their tribal history, their achievements and their time on the battlefield.
Aside from the events honoring veterans, the powwow was filled with what master of ceremonies Josh Gibbs called the four sides of Native American culture: singing, dancing, crafts and compassion.
In the halls of the alumni center, vendors set up booths selling delicate dreamcatchers, turquoise jewelry and wooden flutes.
“It’s pretty cool how everyone comes out to this event and wants to share their culture, their artwork and their crafts with everyone,” McKay said.
Meanwhile, in the Orem Alumni Hall, young Native American girls in elaborate regalia participated in a “blanket dance” — a ritual in which they paraded a wool quilt around the room so people could drop in donations.
Jay Winter Nightwolf, a spiritual leader who hosts “The American Indian’s Truths — The Most Dangerous Show on Radio,” said the money from the blanket dance will benefit tribes all over the country, from South Dakota to Arizona. In these tribes, many are so poor that a child once told Nightwolf she wanted a toothbrush as a present so she wouldn’t have to keep sharing one.
“The community is stepping up to help someone who really needs help. It’s about love, honor, respect and genuine concern,” he said while sorting the pile of bills collected. “Indian people are not selfish; that’s just us — it’s been our culture since the beginning of time.”
Overall, Dottie Chicquelo, assistant director of OMSE, said the powwow was a success.
“The community is really embracing this event,” she said. “This year was the first time the mayor of College Park was here and the secretary of veteran affairs was here — we’re moving on up.”
