Native American Culture Honored During Powwow

Tribes and vendors celebrated their heritage at the Ignatian Gardens

With the smell of frybread and the thrum of live drums in the air, Santa Clara celebrated its third annual Powwow on May 6 to honor and appreciate local Native American communities.

Powwows are a tradition for Indigenous communities to gather, socialize and share cultural traditions. Powwows typically begin with a Gourd Dance, a dance done to honor warriors; a land blessing and acknowledgment; and then the grand entry, when all the dancers arrive in the center circle. 

Native vendors were scattered across the Ignatian gardens, selling handmade jewelry, clothing and cultural items like dreamcatchers and bandolier bags against the backdrop of colorful swirls of dancers’ custom-made skirts as they competed for the prize money.

“We had over 30 vendors and about 50 tribes present,” said sophomore Claire Alford, president of the Native American Coalition for Change at Santa Clara and chair of the Powwow. “It was a mix of all different types of people.”

She believes that celebrating Powwows is especially important at Santa Clara given that the school is centered around Mission Santa Clara de Asís. The mission system historically suppressed Native peoples, forcing cultural assimilation and religious conversion, and Santa Clara was no different. Supporting local tribes like the Muwekma Ohlone people has been a fairly recent endeavor, and education on Native issues is lacking.

“It’s good to expose everyone at Santa Clara and in the local community about Native tribes because there is generally a lack of knowledge,” Alford said. “I think the Powwow, by proxy, educates people about the history of the university and turns it into something positive. It’s a dark history and something I think about every day when they see the mission, but I think it’s good to look forward as well and try to turn this into an opportunity for Native communities.”

In addition to the Powwow, Alford hopes people will continue to support Native people and issues by interacting with the community. She also hopes to provide a space for local Natives to connect.

“I think one of the best ways to promote a diverse and unified society is to interact with people of other cultures and, if you’re Native, to grow closer to your culture,” Alford said. “It’s comforting to see the same faces, and the Powwow generates a strong community. It makes me feel really integrated into the Santa Clara and Native communities.”

Corrections

An earlier version of this article quoted Claire Alford as saying “It’s a dark history and something students should think about every day when they see the mission”. (May 22, 2023)