Powwow Honors Heritage

The Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) hosted its 10th annual Harvard University Powwow—a day of traditional Native American music and dance—on Saturday at the Bright Hockey Center.

Native Americans from across the country gathered to participate in or simply enjoy watching the celebration of culture.

“It’s important that the public learns about the different traditions of our people,” said Nachomee, a princess of the Hingefoot nation.

The participants performed traditional men’s and women’s dances, grass dances, Jingle Dress dances in which the dancers’ dresses are covered in small metal cones that jingle as they move, and social dances in which the participants dance in a large circle.

White Bear, a dancer from the Apache reservation in Arizona, said that the grass dances were the first ones performed at powwows in the Plains regions. According to the program, young men danced in patterns that flattened the tall prairie grass so that others could gather and dance on it. Today, the grass dancers wear long fringe to emulate the grass and its movement.

The other dancers wore regalia of buckskin or cloth in vibrant colors, decorated with fringe and occasionally with large feather bustles on their backs.

Nachomee, who was born and raised on the San Carlos Apache reservation in southeastern Ariz., is one of the last three remaining members of the Hingefoot nation. She said that the powwows she went to as a child were “special family event[s] honoring the elders.”

“The closest thing to it might be a family picnic,” she said.

Nachomee is also a medicine woman of her people and was the only person wearing white leather-fringed regalia.

She added that she felt that much of the discrimination against Native Americans has its roots in simple misunderstanding and cultural ignorance. Others at the powwow agreed.

“Any time you can show national Native culture, it’s a good thing,” said White Bear.

“In the past 10 years, it’s been a fad to be a Native,” he added. “Before that, you didn’t want anyone to know you were a Native because of the degradation.”

Head Veteran of the Powwow Marvin Burnette, a member of the Rosebud Sioux from Rosebud, S.D., said he was glad to see Native American students at Harvard, especially participating in events like the powwow.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to share the dances and songs in a traditional way,” Burnette said. “A powwow of this nature is a social gathering.”

Barney Old Coyote Jr., a respected elder of the Crow nation from Billings, Mont., echoed Burnette.

“That’s how we enjoy ourselves—we dance, we sing and so on,” he said. “We all live together and do everything together. That’s the Indian thing, unity.”

Vendors sold food and drinks at the powwow, including “frybread,” similar to fried dough. They also sold t-shirts and other clothing and merchandise.

At the powwow, HUNAP also celebrated the 350th anniversary of the Harvard Indian College, which was founded on the site where Matthews Hall currently stands.