Pow Wow celebrates Native American culture
Rhythmic drumming echoed throughout the Nelson Fieldhouse on Friday and Saturday as dancers and spectators gathered to celebrate Native American culture and history at USU’s 41st Pow Wow.
The Pow Wow, hosted by the USU Access and Diversity Center and the Native American Student Council, is the second biggest on-campus event, said NASC president Jason Brough.
“This event is a great way for the people to come together to be able to renew some of the social ties,” Brough said. “It’s a great way to keep the culture alive. It still has a lot of the same spiritual significance that it used to in the past. The drummers, every song they sing; the dancers, every step they take is a prayer to Creator.”
He said the NASC is the oldest multicultural club at USU.
This is Brough’s second year as NASC president. He said planning the Pow Wow this year was less stressful than last year and was impressed with the attendance and talent at the event.
“We’ve got some good drum groups here,” Brough said. “I like the fact that there’s a lot more people here. To me, that shows we as a council did a good job trying to put it out in the community, and that allows people to come and learn.”
Alicia Olea, NASC secretary and senior majoring in anthropology, has a long history with the club’s events.
“I’ve been involved with the Native American Student Council my entire time being at Utah State, which is roughly five years now,” Olea said.
Her responsibility this year was to gather recruit and manage the volunteers. She said 80 students of various majors signed up on the Pow Wow volunteer Canvas page, and at least that many showed up to help.
Olea said the volunteers finish the Pow Wow with a better understanding of native culture and enjoy the music, the food and the dance. She said they have a great cultural experience that they may or may not have had before.
All of the dances were performed on Friday night, and the dance competition began on Saturday afternoon.
Bryan Armajo, a senior majoring in business management and information systems at the Tooele USU campus, said he has danced in Native American powwows all over the country since he was just a toddler, but this was his first time at USU. He described the powwows as a family reunion where he gets to meet up with distant cousins, aunts and uncles.
He said his favorite parts are the food, people and dancing.
“I love dancing,” he said. “People tell me all the time that they can see that I love dancing.”
Armajo’s outfit featured a feathered headpiece and a beaded bib. It was Armajo’s first year participating in USU’s Pow Wow. Other dancers were covered completely with brightly colored feathers and beads, and many of the women and girls wore dresses covered in small, cone-shaped bells that jingled whenever they moved.
The USU Pow Wow is the kick-starter for the rest of the powwows in Utah, Brough said.
“Powwows, you’re not supposed to do them in the winter because you’re supposed to put the drums to sleep,” he said. “So in the spring, that’s when things come alive, that’s when things start waking up, plants start waking up, and so that’s when we’re able to do the Pow Wow.”
For Miss Native American USU Sarah Francom, a junior majoring in international studies, the Pow Wow also awakens personal traditions.
“I love it. It’s so fun,” she said of the Pow Wow. “We get to go out and do a little dance, nothing special, but it’s so fun looking at the culture and stuff because this is all new to me. My mom has been to powwows before, but she never took us.”
However, Native American heritage is not a prerequisite to attend the Pow Wow.
“Whether you’re Native or non-Native, it doesn’t matter,” Olea said. “We all come together and we celebrate the different cultures and we learn about ourselves and we learn about others, and it’s just a great experience.”
Francom said she is excited to represent USU at other powwows throughout the year and enjoys the unity the events cause.
“I think it just brings everyone together,” she said. “That’s what’s most important about it, coming together.”
–noelle.johansen@aggiemail.usu.edu
Twitter: @broelle