In celebration of American Indian tradition and culture, the 39th annual Pow Wow will commemorate this Saturday and Sunday at Cal State Long Beach.
The CSULB campus is build on an American Indian sacred site called Puvunga, adding significance to the celebration of the Pow Wow.
Puvungna, which means “gathering place,” is a holy site where Wewyoot, who is thought of as the “first captain” to the Tongva people, was born. Puvungna is also thought to be the birthplace of the Chengiichngech religion.
“Puvunga is the oldest Gabrielino/Tongva Village and the birthplace of a religion,” said Craig Stone, who has been singing and dancing at the event for over four decades.
Stone has been teaching American Indian studies and art at CSULB since the 1980s, with a focus on Pow Wow culture. He will be teaching American Indian Studies 420 this fall, a class that has been formally connected to the Pow Wow celebration for the past 17 years. Stone said that his genealogy includes 13 different ancestral lineages. They include three Native American backgrounds as well. He is also a faculty adviser to the American Indian Student Council and the CSULB Pow Wow Committee.
“We will have a presentation by the Tiat Society to honor the Gabrielino/Tongva, the original people of this land, during our dinner break on Saturday,” Stone said.
Pow Wow is a celebration of life where people from all ages and backgrounds are welcome to come together and celebrate the American Indian culture. “It is a celebration that attests to the resiliency of American Indian culture,” Stone said. “It is also a reunion and a homecoming for CSULB American Indian alumni and their families who have been part of the celebration for the past 38 years.”
CSULB’s annual Pow Wow is the largest university Pow Wow and largest spring event of its kind. It also marks the first university Pow Wow of the season.
The event will include arts, crafts and Native American dancing such as inter-tribal dancing and Gourd dancing.
“Our celebration this year will have many special aspects including a men’s traditional and men’s fancy dance specials,” according to the press release.
There will also be American Indian vendors selling traditional and contemporary American Indian art, as well as food such as corn soup, Navajo tacos, fry bread and Indian burgers.
Unlike the last couple of years, this year they have adjusted the arena to accommodate more room for the singers’ and dancers’ families. There will also be bleachers for spectators.
In addition, they will be introducing two new dancers, whose families have been part of the celebration for many years, after the grand entry at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
During the celebration, this year’s master of ceremonies, John Dawson, will speak about the event, along with other speakers representing particular families. They will explain what is taking place, why it is taking place and how everyone can participate, according to Stone.
“We also expect to have many CSULB American Indian alumni traveling from out of state to support our head lady dancer, Donna GoingSnake-Falls Down, and our head man dancer, Ben Wolf,” Stone said in the press release.
Wolf and GoingSnake-Falls Down, along with the head southern singer, Gene Ray Ahboah, and the host northern drum, White Cloud, will perform to keep the tradition alive and entertaining for the community with the other dancers and musicians.
One of the best ways for students, staff and faculty to experience the celebration is to become a Pow Wow volunteer.
“We always need help on Sunday evening after 7 p.m.,” Stone said.
For more information on volunteering, contact Anna Nazarian-Peters at (562) 985-8528, as well as for more information on the event, or e-mail [email protected].
The Pow Wow is co-sponsored by the American Indian studies department, the American Indian Student Council, the Native American Alumni and Friends Chapter, the Division of Student Services, Student Life and Development, 49er Shop Inc. and Associated Students Inc.
The celebration will be held Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission and parking to the largest event of its kind in Southern California is free and will be held on upper campus. For more information, visit http://csulb.edu/powwow
Tiffany Rider contributed to this article.
Lakota Nation: I agree. Unless I missed it, I saw no article featuring the events as they happened over the weekend. That is unfortunate. I myself, a CSULB alumnus, was in attendance as a spectator, and had a wonderful time. In these down economic times, it was a huge boost to the spirit to remember, embrace and RESPECT the resilience, vast cultural knowledge and wisdom, the very richness of diversity among our “First” fellow Americans. The event offered a tremendous opportunity for a multimedia feature report by the campus student newspaper, so that the many voices and sights there could have been shared with others who did not attend. The energy was palpable, the drums and dancing and singing — the generations of love and care that have been passed down through the arts and through story, through the elders — warmed the crisp air. Wonderful. Beautiful. And a living legacy and commitment to the present, to a more just future and a healthier planet, always to be remembered and worked toward. Together. A big thank-you to all who worked so hard to organize and participate in such a wonderful Pow Wow.
How disrespectful to use an old photo for such an important cultural event, instead of actually covering this wonderful part of CSULB. Lazy, lazy people