The free event will be hosted on the Quad from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
By JESSICA YUNG — campus@theaggie.org
The UC Davis Cross Cultural Center (CCC) will be hosting its 49th annual UC Davis Powwow on Saturday, April 19 on the Quad from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. It will feature dance contests and other specials. Both the event and on-campus parking will be free.
CCC Native Community Coordinator Hannah Villanueva, a fifth-year cognitive neuroscience major, describes the UC Davis Powwow as an inter-tribal, cultural celebration open to all.
“Everybody is welcome and encouraged to attend and enjoy the beauty that is native culture,” Villanueva said. “It’s not just any one nation or any one tribe that participates. It’s multiple coming together, coalescing, sharing dance, song, ceremony and good company, good medicine.”
The UC Davis CCC’s website describes powwow as a gathering to showcase Indigenous tradition and culture to everyone.
“Powwow, as practiced today, is a social gathering intended to provide the campus and local community a space to learn about, engage with and celebrate the traditions and cultures of Indigenous peoples and bring visibility to the vibrancy of Native American music, dance, and arts,” the website reads. “Everything put into preparing and holding the annual UC Davis Powwow affords the opportunity for the campus and local Native community to build connections to address the social, cultural, historical and political issues facing Indigenous people today.”
Villanueva described powwow as having roots in the illegalization of Native practices in the 1800s due to “ethnic cleansing [and] genocide.”
“There was [only one] way where [Natives] could leave the reservation and make money, which was performing in a Wild West Show,” Villanueva said. “It was exploitation and commodification of Native culture and identity. It also offered a space for political engagement and activism. [Wild West Shows] evolved and grew over the ‘50s and ‘60s [into powwow].”
The annual UC Davis Powwow will feature many different types of Native dances with different age groups, led by event organizers and varying musical drumming styles.
”Head man, head woman, they will lead all the dances for every category,” Villanueva said. “If a woman’s fancy song is starting a competition, the head woman dancer is starting the arena competition.”
There will also be craft vendors selling jewelry, shirts and other items, and food vendors will sell different fares. These include frybread, which has its roots in the forced displacement of Native communities, according to CCC Native Community Coordinator Isaac Tobon, a third-year cognitive science major.
“[Frybread is a] food that has arisen through colonialism, through the forced movings of Natives,” Tobon said. “We were provided only a couple things by the government, which were flour [and] lard. We made use of it to make frybread. Frybread is a treat, but an interesting one.”
Powwow is for everyone, and Tobon asserted that attendees should be sure they are respectful and open minded.
“I want to say to not be intimidated in coming,” Tobon said. “You are supporting Native peoples by being present and immersing yourself in the tradition to open your perspectives and not being so close minded.”
Both Tobon and Villanueva also reiterated that there are many tangible benefits to going to the event, from monetarily supporting the Native American community through buying their products, to embracing Native joy and hearing stories from Indigenous elders and people.
Organizers also recommended that visitors to powwow should bring walking shoes, spending money and cultural humility. They also noted that the drumming can be very loud and intense for people who are sensory sensitive, and earplugs will be available upon request.
Even if those interested cannot make the UC Davis Powwow, Villanueva was clear that there are other ways to get involved in Native events and culture on campus.
“If folks are interested in general, people should just go check out the Native Nest [the Native American Academic Student Success Center],” Villanueva said. “It’s a really nice spot and a super good study place. It’s such good energy.”
Written by: Jessica Yung — campus@theaggie.org
