Powwow celebrates native culture, spirit
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 5, 2002 9:00 p.m.
COURTNEY STEWART/Daily Bruin Staff Andrew Tewawina performs with
his drumming group at the 17th Annual UCLA Pow Wow on Sunday.
By Karen E. Graulich
DAILY BRUIN CONTRIBUTOR
Over the weekend the UCLA American Indian Student Association
held the 17th Annual UCLA Pow Wow at the North Athletic Field.
This year’s festival, titled “Strengthening the
Spirit,” took place on Saturday and Sunday, attracting people
from as far away as Oklahoma.
A powwow is a festival where different American Indian tribes
come together to socialize and celebrate their cultures through
music and dance. Set up in a circular manner, the dance arena is in
the middle with spectators surrounding it and vendors on the
outermost perimeter.
The central focus of the powwow was the dance competition. Each
tribe has their own traditional dances, music, and attire and
perform for several minutes at a time. Groups are judged based on
their dancing ability, appropriateness of style within the
category, and rhythmic accuracy.
Tony Lil Hawk, a warrior dancer of the Tsalagi tribe, another
name for Cherokee, said powwows were originally meetings for
discussing serious issues, but have transformed into social
gatherings.
“I work all week for this. This is my social life.
I’ll travel as much as 200 miles to hang out with my friends.
I’ve actually traveled farther than that,” Lil Hawk
said.
Lil Hawk said during warm weather, there are powwows every
weekend around the state. He would frequently take his children as
youngsters to expose them to Tsalagi traditions.
Powwows are a positive way for American Indians who don’t
live on reservations to learn about their culture, he added.
At the UCLA Pow Wow, the dancers, wearing elaborate traditional
clothing and regalia, were often left catching their breath because
of the physical effort that is exerted when dancing.
When there was a large gap between performances, the announcer
called for an inter-tribal dance, where all dancers entered the
circle, regardless of age or tribe.
Although the UCLA American Indian Student Association sponsored
the event, no UCLA student groups performed.
Stevie Lundgren, an undeclared first-year student and member of
the AISA said this powwow was not only important for the American
Indian community, but for the UCLA community as well.
“It is vital to the student population. It’s
teaching cultural awareness and is a great way to get everybody to
see what this culture is about,” Lundgren said.
