Hundreds of people celebrated Native American and Indigenous culture Saturday at the University of Maryland’s annual powwow in Ritchie Coliseum.
This university’s Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy office and Native American and Indigenous Student Union hosted the event, which ran from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The powwow featured more than 10 Native American dance and music performances and booths selling traditional clothing and jewelry.
Powwows are a celebration of Native American culture that allow people to preserve old relationships through dance, music, food and crafts.
MICA hosted the powwow to strengthen the Native American community and celebrate its culture on campus, according to Alyssa Gilmore, the office’s community organizing intern.
The junior psychology major explained how hosting local Native American businesses, dancers and drummers at the powwow helped expose people to authentic Indigenous culture.
“This is a great opportunity for people to come and just make new connections and just have a great time,” Gilmore said.
Many attendees and performers traveled from across the United States to attend Saturday’s powwow.
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Aiden Ford travelled from New Jersey to perform in the Men’s Northern Traditional dance. The dance style stems from the practices of warriors, according to the National Museum of the American Indian.
Ford has practiced the style for about four months, he said. Dancing has brought Ford closer to his culture, he explained.
“I just dance in my heart, make my own story with it,” Ford said.
Ford wore traditional Native American clothing during the event. Most of his clothing, including his breastplate and ribbon shirt, was passed from or made by family, Ford said.
Every piece of clothing has its own “sentimental value,” Ford said.
“I used to just be someone that … [did] not really speak out,” Ford said. “That’s why I did bright colors, so I’m easily able to be spotted, and not be able to hide [my heritage].”
Performer Danielle Martin, who has attended previous powwows at this university, said she was impressed by this year’s turnout.
The powwow is a “big family reunion,” she said, which allows people to share their cultural experiences and histories.
Martin said she began traditional dancing as a child, but stopped due to judgement and bullying from their peers. But that changed about six years ago when she began to dance Fancy Shawl style, a type of competition dance where young women dress in bright colors and float across the dance floor, she said.
After reconnecting with her roots, Martin began dancing regularly. She performed a traditional dance at the powwow to honor her late grandmother.
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Navajo beader Demetria Slim, who is from a reservation in Arizona, brought her husband and kids to help sell her hand-made jewelry. The third-generation beader said all the funds from her table will go to her and her family.
Most of what she was selling was made out of turquoise, a stone used for protection, she said. The rest of her beaded jewelry ranged from earrings to bracelets.
Sharon Folgar, another Navajo beader from Arizona, represented the Four Corners region at her table. Folgar drove from Fairfax, Virginia, to attend the powwow as a vendor.
Folgar has been beading Navajo jewelry for more than a decade, but now sells Indigenous-made pieces from local families.
Folgar said this event was only her second powwow of the year, but she hopes to attend more in the future.
David Armenti, a vendor with the Maryland Center for History and Culture and a university alum, said he enjoyed being back at his alma mater to celebrate his Cherokee roots.
The organization signed up to table at the powwow to reach community members and build visibility for Indigenous culture, he said.
“We’re all trying to build visibility and let people know that Indigenous people and culture is still here,” Armenti said. “It’s important to continue to share that.”
