Drums echoed through Welsh-Ryan Arena Saturday afternoon as Northwestern’s Native American and Indigenous Student Alliance hosted its fourth annual Pow Wow, where attendees of all ages gathered to celebrate Indigenous culture and community.
Over 1,000 NU students and Indigenous community members from across the Midwest attended the Pow Wow. This year’s Pow Wow theme was “Honoring our Relatives.”
The event coincided with the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, which falls on May 5, inspiring the theme of honoring ancestors.
“It’s a really good theme, especially this year with the whole Trump administration, a lot of groups are just scared,” Weinberg senior and Pow Wow attendee Isaiah DeLeon said. “Being able to still be a part of this community and for the people of NAISA to be able to put this on and still have an incredible turnout is really important.”
The Pow Wow began with a land acknowledgment, grand entry and convocation. Throughout the day, Native American dancers and student groups performed, including Northwestern Mariachi and a group of Teyukhilihwakhwá·seheɂ Singers from The Indian Community School in Franklin, Wisconsin.
Four Drum groups also provided music throughout the day. At powwows nationwide, the Drum represents the Earth’s heartbeat, spiritually connecting participants through shared rhythm and cultural identity.
Vendors like Lisa Bernal lined the second floor of Welsh-Ryan selling products like beaded jewelry, books that focused on stories of Indigenous peoples and traditional regalia. Bernal sold handmade beadwork, a craft she said she learned from her mother.
“It’s a great learning opportunity for students to be present, to hear and see what our social gatherings consist of,” Bernal said. “They learn a little bit more about who the people are, what the resources are, what the work is that people are doing and the craftsmanship and artistry that is in our culture.”
NAISA introduced several changes to the Pow Wow this year, including the release of a zine — a collection of text and artwork — that honored the Pow Wow and its theme. The zine showcases artwork from 13 artists, both NU students and other Indigenous artists.
The Pow Wow Planning Committee also eliminated the break that previously took place in the middle of the day, Weinberg junior and Pow Wow Planning co-Chair Kaya Payton said, to encourage greater attendance.
“One of our goals this year was to get people to stay longer,” Payton said.
While the numbers this year were fairly similar to attendance at previous NAISA Pow Wows, the crowd size remained consistent throughout the event.
Many of the community visitors from outside NU expressed that attending the NAISA Pow Wow has become an annual tradition for them. Bernal loves coming back each year, and her son looks forward to the event, she said.
“My favorite part is being able to see friends,” Bernal said. “There are people here that live out of state that come back, alumni from Northwestern that come back. We’re all in one space, realistically, it’s just being able to visit with friends.”
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