IU will celebrate Native American culture Saturday at the annual IU Traditional Powwow. IU’s First Nations Educational and Cultural Center will organize the event, which will take place from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. that day in Dunn Meadow.
“The IU Annual Traditional Powwow is something I truly look forward to each year, because not only is it a great way to honor the Native American community, but it’s an inclusive event that allows the IU community to come together and have a good time,” James Wimbush, vice president for diversity, equity and multicultural affairs, said in a press release.
The event has drawn crowds of around 1,500 spectators and participants in the past and is free and open for the public. The powwow will have traditional Native American dancing, singing, food and craft vendors for everyone there.
Two sessions of traditional Native American dancing will occur, the first from 1 to 5 p.m. and the second from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
Groups from other cultural centers will also attend to showcase their support for Native American people and culture. Paso a Paso, a Latino dance group at IU, and the Indiana School of Polynesian Arts will perform during the event.
This is also the first time the event will occur outside and during spring semester rather than fall.
“The powwow has continued to grow over the years, so it’s great to have it in Dunn Meadow, where it is much more visible and more accessible to the campus and local communities,” said Nicky Belle, director of the First Nations Educational and Cultural Center, in the press release.
The newly established IU First Nations Leadership Ambassadors Council will have its first meetings before the powwow April 6 and 7. Nicky Michael, a member of the council and of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, will give a lecture the night before the powwow at the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.
Dominick Jean
