Hundreds of Native Americans and other community members attended the 39th annual UCLA Pow Wow from Saturday to Sunday.

Hosted by the American Indian Student Association and held at the Wallis Annenberg Stadium, the two-day event – which was free to the public – featured music and dances across different Native American cultures. The performances at the powwow included jingle dress dances, gourd dancing and a drum contest.

“This is Pow Wow – this is a space for us to have prayer, have medicine, a way to honor our ancestors,” said Cisco Martinez, the president of AISA. “When you see us dance and everything, it’s a way for us to show that we’re still here.”

Martinez, a fourth-year sociology student, said it was meaningful to see Native people gather on UCLA’s campus, which occupies unceded land previously inhabited by the Gabrielino-Tongva tribe. He added that with around 0.4% of UCLA’s population being Native American, it was heartwarming to showcase different Native cultures and traditions in one space.

AISA invited other universities’ Native American students to the powwow as well, including students from the University of Southern California and UC Santa Barbara, Martinez said.

The event also included the Ms. UCLA Pow Wow Pageant, which was won by Maritza Barley, who is from the Quechan and Cocopah tribes. She said the event focused on representing the Native community.

“Being a powwow princess means … to represent Natives in college and also empower youth to attend college and pursue their dreams,” Barley said. “You’re put on a platform to represent the Native community.”

The pageant involved personal interviews asking about her knowledge of her tribal affiliation as well as a public speaking portion and talent presentation at the powwow, Barley said. For her presentation, she said she focused on peon, a traditional hand game that has been in her family for generations.

Vendors at the powwow sold colorful handmade crafts, clothing, leatherwork and jewelry along the perimeter of Wallis Annenberg Stadium. Native food vendors also offered Indian tacos and fry bread.

Valerie Ferris, a Native craft vendor at the event, said the UCLA Pow Wow helped her bring her designs to a larger audience, adding that her work focuses on simple designs and basic colors familiar to many tribes.

“I’m actually a reconnecting Native. I was moved out of my tribe when I was very young, so I was never taught by any of my elders,” she said. “I wanted to do this to connect with my family and everybody.”

Many attendees and performers wore traditional regalia with hand-beaded details and bustles – a piece of powwow regalia made of feathers traditionally worn by men – as well as jingle dresses. Tents and chairs for attendees encircled a central dance area, which featured performances including the Men’s Fancy Special, the Teen Boy Northern Traditional Iron Man Special and a Girls 12 & Under Exhibition – all representing different dances.

Barley added that continuing to instill traditions across generations is empowering for her community. She said it is important to have events like the powwow open to all Native American students attending higher education.

The event offered a place to connect with Native culture, said Lauren Toledo, a fourth-year history and labor studies student and a member of AISA. She added that she enjoyed hearing the drums throughout campus.

“UCLA Pow Wow has had a long tradition of showcasing the Indian presence on campus,” Toledo said. “This year, it serves as a really healing space for us all.”