The Stanford University Pow Wow:

Encouraging Diversity and Education of Native Cultures

Presented by Sandra Kjono

ENGR297C, Spring 2003

Eucalyptus Grove comes alive with the beat of the drums, sending chills of power trickling down your spine. All around you are people, over 30,000 weaving in and out of over 100 booths. Despite the tickle of your nose from the dust kicked up by the passionate dancers in the arena, you are greeted by the smell of foods representative of different tribes. The crowd is colorful in dress, face and purpose; the songs represent and evoke different emotions. You have just entered the Stanford American Indian Organization’s Annual Pow Wow.

The excitement and festivities last from Friday night till Sunday at dusk, when the last Grand Entry occurs during every Mother’s Day weekend. It is an annual phenomenon pulled off by diligent, committed and dedicated students from all different tribes and areas of North America. Their reasons differ, but they all share the same goal: to make it happen.

Each year, the same basic obstacles are overcome. A budget of roughly $150,000 is raised and spent each year. For every Pow Wow, the Native Community is faced with the problem of not only raising that money, but finding enough people to head the 15 committees. The students from the Native Community who step up to the challenge of putting on this event are all full-time students, carrying full academic loads, while still trying to lead a balanced life with friends, family and other extracurricular interests. The responsibility, long hours and the magnitude of the Pow Wow tends to be daunting, so that not many people are willing to head up the committees. But each year, we motivate each other to get the job done. One might ask, why do we continue to tackle the Pow Wow and execute it each year? Looking at the history of the Pow Wow, what the Pow Wow is, and what we accomplish may help to explain why Native Students continue to take on this challenge and why the Pow Wow plays an integral part in the diverse Stanford and Bay Area community. This paper will present the history of the Stanford University Pow Wow; discuss the actual dynamics and activities of the Pow Wow; show what happens behind the scenes; and conclude with implications and suggestions as to how Stanford University can augment the ways they have been of help regarding the Pow Wow.

History

In November of 1970, a group of Natives came together to fight the issue of Stanford’s mascot – the “Indian”. Since 1930, the Stanford athletic teams had a big-nosed caricature of an “Indian” to serve as their mascot. The Natives petitioning for a new mascot fought the issue on the grounds that the “Indian” made Native religious practices seem ridiculous and that using a race of people for entertainment through the performances by Timm Williams, also known as Prince Lightfoot, was unethical and should be discontinued.

As part of their efforts to educate others about the true Native image, this small group of Natives put on the first Annual Stanford Pow Wow. The event in the 1970’s was not as big as the Pow Wow everyone has come to know and love today. But the same reasons for having the event motivated that group of Natives: education and experiencing true Native cultures.

The small group of Natives named themselves the Stanford American Indian Organization (SAIO) and began the group that is still active on campus today. The SAIO has put on 32 Annual Pow Wows that have grown in size with the years. One of the main reasons the Pow Wow was able to expand in 1986 was because of the new Special Fee granted to SAIO, which allots annual funding to the student organization. The Stanford Pow Wow, today, is a three day event which invites anyone to visit and shop at the over 100 booths, watch the contest and recreational dancing, listen to the drum groups and enjoy the sights while learning more about the different tribes as well as some of the hardships today’s Native people face.

The Event

Every year, the Pow Wow begins and is honored with the Grand Entry. The Grand Entry is a way for everyone to see and honor the veterans, honored guests, head staff, dancers and elders. The procession is led by eagle staffs and flags that represent nations, family and community. While the drums play the Grand Entry song, passing the beat from drum to drum around the circular arena, a line of people enter. Traditionally, at the front is the Chief, or tribal chair of the host tribe. Following them are the other honored members and the color guard of veterans. Then, the elected royalty, or young people chosen to honor and represent their community, follow the color guard and lead the dancers.

The Flag Bearers, Elders and Head Staff

The dancers are in order of age and sex. The men dancers follow with the elder men in front and the different dancers, usually in the order of Men’s Traditional, Grass, then Fancy (to be explained below). Following the men are the women dancers, with the elder women heading the group. The women are usually ordered in dance categories as well, starting with Women’s Traditional, Jingle and then Fancy Shawl dancers. Following the Men and Women dancers are the teen dancers. Teen boys are followed by teen girls and then younger boys, girls and the tiny tots (toddlers) in tow.

Dancers in each category are announced by the MCs as they pass the announcer’s stand. Once all of the people have entered the arena, it is filled with dancers dressed in all types of regalia, dancing in all types of styles. The young and old, the women and men, dancing to the beat of the drums. It is an exciting sight to see. Once everyone is in the arena and the song is finished, the prayer song and honoring song for the veterans begins. At this point, the dancers and audience are not dancing and they are standing and silently participating in the extreme sense of pride they feel as they see the beauty of the history of the Native culture and hear the drums beat out a song of energy and strength.

The Grand Entry is repeated twice every day of Mother’s Day weekend, while dancing goes on for hours, into the night. The significance of dance in Native cultures varies from dance to dance, but each experience somehow triggers one’s emotions; whether it be upbeat or slow, contest or not, each dance is always inspirational as well as educational.

The Contest Dancing covers different age groups and styles. The different styles help to educate people about the different ways of expressing and passing on Native culture. Last year, Pow Wow 2003, there were 22 contests total and 20 of those contests were in dancing competitions. The dancing contests are split into different sex and age groups, including Golden Age, Adult, Teen/Junior and Tiny Tot categories. The dances range from Men’s Fancy to Women’s Northern Traditional.

Men’s Fancy Dance is said to be one of the most athletic of all the Pow Wow dances. From region to region, any and all dances and dancing styles differ, but the Men’s Fancy Dance is performed for the entertainment of bystanders. In the early 1900’s, tribes in the Oklahoma area were trying to attract more people to their Pow Wows and came up with the new Men’s Fancy dance to specifically entertain and ‘wow’ the onlookers, ensuring their continued return. This dancing style has since spread to Pow Wows all over; regalia differs from region to region in small ways, but to the untrained eye, one may not be able to distinguish between the different outfits. Dressed in brilliantly colored regalia with a few characteristic steps, young men with agility and stamina perform in an arena with the drums beating out a song that is not written down, but passed on.

The dancer’s trademark is the design of two bustles of brightly colored feathers with added ribbon, feather or horse hair hackles that sit behind them, leaving brightly colored madness trailing the air. Some say that this effect is created for the rainbow spirits. Southern bustles are usually made from stripped feathers that are decorated with dyed hackle feathers and plumes. One bustle is tied around the neck, and the other is tied to the waist. A newer twist to this is making the bustles from eagle wings, which gives more of a "flying" look, which is more common in the North.

Men’s Fancy dancers wear arm and head bands repeating the colors and patterns presented in their bustles because the Men’s Fancy dancers characteristically wear extremely coordinated regalia. Men’s Fancy dancers often also wear a cape that is either made out of cloth or ribbon, or is fully beaded. They also wear matching front and back aprons. In addition to their regalia, the dancers wear tied porcupine and deer hair head roaches, fur-leggings and bells. The head roaches are usually trimmed in colored horse hair and contain two eagle feathers. The head roach is designed to keep the feathers either spinning or rocking in movement. Part of the dance is to keep the feathers moving, like the dancer, constantly throughout the song. In some areas, dancers also carry coup sticks that are highly decorated with ribbons or feathers. The coup stick was originally a small stick carried into battle by a warrior. It was considered a great sign of bravery if you were able to touch your enemy with your coup stick (much more brave than killing your enemy).

The Roach and Moccasin

The dance performed by Men’s Fancy dancers is a whirlwind of movement, including acrobatics, jumps and twirling. The experience of watching the freestyle Men’s Fancy dance is exciting, as the physically fit men compete with themselves and other dancers to follow the music correctly and continue to dance their hearts out with spinning, back flips, head and arm motions and dazzling footwork. It is a full body dance, everything is moving continuously the music. A friendly competition may develop between the singers and the dancers, because stopping with the end beat can mean winning or losing points as decided by the experienced judges. To keep things interesting, the singers often perform "trick songs," with unexpected last beats where the dancer should end with both feet on the ground on that beat.

The Women’s Northern Traditional dance is at the other end of the spectrum of dancing styles performed and judged at the Annual Stanford Pow Wow. This dance is the opposite of the wild display of energy in the Men’s Fancy dance. The jumping and spinning of the men performing the Men’s Fancy dance is replaced by the controlled and stately movements of the women participating in the Women’s Northern Traditional dance. The Northern Traditional Women’s dance differs only slightly from the Women’s Southern Traditional dance in regalia and motions, but the same calm and deliberate motion is characteristic of both. The Women’s Northern Traditional dancers display a regal bobbing motion as they glide through the arena. The women dance in place and sway their fringed dresses and shawls in time to the drum. The Southern traditional dance is an elegant walk with a gentle sway. Both Northern and Southern dancers raise their fans to "catch the spirit" on the honor beats of the drum. The dancing styles, movements and regalia differ not only from tribe to tribe, but from woman to woman. It is a unique display of the personality and heritage that each woman brings to the circle.

The types of dance for this category range from the stationary dance, which originated with the Dakota people, to the circle dance, to the zigzag style. All of these styles originate from different parts of the North and are representative of the strong Native women of the past and present who, through their strength, industry and patience, have carried on Native traditions. In the stationary dance, the woman would stand and bounce to the beat of the drum in honor of the relatives for whom the song was sung. The circle dance, also referred to as the round dance or side step dance, entails the women moving around the arena in a slow and rhythmic dip and sway where their shawl and feet move in time with the beat of the drum. In the zigzag dance, the women make a zigzag pattern as they dance around the arena in the same stately and controlled sway.

Women’s Northern Traditional dancers wear regalia with a traditional concentration, integrating pieces that traditional Native women wore and used in daily work, such as awl cases, knife pouches and even straps used as horse whips or to bundle and carry things. These traditional pieces are coordinated well with the women’s dresses. They are made with heavy material, such as buckskin or wool. These are covered in intricate beadwork, quillwork, elk teeth, bone, antler or shells; and while the designs are beautiful, the colors are more subtle than the more brightly colored regalia of other dances. As the women dance in the arena, their slow bobbing motion creates a music of its own from the light “tinkling” sound made from various objects integrated into the outfit, such as tin cones, shells or tin tubes that are attached to the hem of the dresses or the belt. Other characteristic pieces worn by the dancers of this category are the heavy breastplates, chokers, medallions, purses, leggings and moccasins. The chokers and breastplates are beautifully made with bone and crystal beads designed in a way to complement the rest of their regalia, and are usually representative of each woman’s personal tastes. The medallion, purses, leggings and moccasins are also intricately beaded wonders, and add to the look and dance of the women -- assisting in sending the message that the dance is a modest, but important dance. The upper portion of the dress is usually completely beaded, designed for warmth, and one example of the differences between a Women’s Southern and Northern Traditional dancer.

While the Men’s Fancy dance and the Women’s Northern Traditional differ in meaning, presentation, era and tempo, they are both representative of the diverse culture that Natives preserve and bring to the outside communities. At the Stanford Pow Wow, as well as many other Pow Wows, there are also a couple of categories of Dance that are open to any age and are set aside from the traditional line of dances. For the Stanford Pow Wow last year, the special dance style was the Switch Dance. The Switch Dance is a humorous event, and while one may think it is a dance that involves long, thin branches being whipped, it is actually a literal “switch”. The men dress in women’s regalia and the women dress in men’s regalia and the drums play songs while everyone tries to dance the styles, and in the regalia of, the opposite sex. Last year, the winner was incredibly entertaining as he pranced around in his Jingle attire. This dance category just goes to show that dancing is not only a very spiritual and integral part of maintaining Native traditions, but is also a way for Natives to express their playful side.

The Pow Wow also welcomes guest dancers from all ethnicities; we have had indigenous peoples such as Aztecs, Incas and Native Hawaiians participate in Pow Wows. Every year the Native Hawaiian students at Stanford present a Luau where they perform Native dances led by Native Hawaiian musicians and this year, they performed one of their dances in the arena.

Hawaii Club Women and Men Dancers

Also, Aztec dancers traveled from Mexico to take part in the Pow Wow. As can be seen by these examples, the Pow Wow allows for indigenous peoples from all regions to come together and become a part of the ceremonies and dances; the Pow Wow thus reaches out to embrace all Native peoples, not just Native Americans.

While the dancers are educational in both a spiritual and sensory way, the booths that surround the arena add to the total experience by presenting attendees with traders, artists, food and non-profit education groups. Each year, over 100 companies apply to sell their goods at a booth at the Stanford Pow Wow; and each year a small group of Stanford Native students decide who will bring the best, most original, authentic and educational products to the Stanford Pow Wow.

In previous years, the Stanford Pow Wow has offered all types of food, ranging from Navajo tacos to Chinese. The artists have also presented a wide range of products. Some vendors sell jewelry, while others sell clothing, blankets, statues or purses. Students on the committee who choose which vendors will have a spot try to ensure that if the vendor is selling Native products, they are authentic and give a good representation of their region. Each tribe and Native nation brings differing styles, foods and traditions, so the students also try to show the Pow Wow attendees a good range of different types of Native cultures.

The Pow Wow is not only for those who do not have Native heritage. It is also, and importantly, a way for the students to bring together the Native community in the Bay Area and from all over the country to bring a ‘bit of home’ back to campus. For instance, the Pow Wow presents an opportunity for Kahnawake Mohawks, like me, to eat Navajo Fry Bread that I would otherwise have never eaten. It is an educational experience for all involved because it presents such a diverse representation of dancers, artists, food booths and vendors.

There are also non-profit organizations, such as Indian Health organizations that come to give out information to Natives and anyone interested about the specific illnesses we face. Natives are more at risk for health problems such as diabetes. There is also an effort, as with many other ethnicities, to educate our people about HIV/AIDS and alcohol, substance and domestic abuse and the information booths are there to help educate and provide resources for the people who attend the Pow Wow.

The dancing, singing and booths take place at the Eucalyptus Grove, but the Pow Wow also offers outside events, such as the Fun Run and a concert to further the educational and entertaining value of the Pow Wow. The Fun Run promotes good health and invites locals to run or walk a 5K course on Saturday morning of Pow Wow weekend. This year, we had a concert which brought all sorts of contemporary Native music groups to campus to promote these little known groups to others, and to show that there are Native music groups other than the drum groups.

Behind the Scenes

Each year, all of these activities are put on by just a few full-time Stanford students who face the same challenges of any other Stanford student carrying a full load of classes, paying bills, making friends and enjoying college life. On top of these loads, committee heads and members must ensure that their committee is constantly keeping up with their duties.

There are 15 total committees. Each committee touches base with the Coordinators and the Financial Manager to make sure that they are up to date with their responsibilities and that the Financial Manager knows where the money is going and when it will be needed. There are other committees that handle the Fundraising, the Security and Camping, the Volunteers and the list goes on. There are multiple committees because there is so much that goes into planning an event of this magnitude. When over 30,000 people are brought to one area and offered free entertainment, the chance to experience other cultures and a space to sleep, things can get complicated.

To illustrate these complications, take one aspect of the Pow Wow: dancing. The dancers come from all around North America, ranging from Canada to Mexico; many different styles of dance are represented. In order to judge the diverse styles that compete in the contest dancing, the need for judges and an MC, as well as Host Drums, a Head Woman and Head Man come into play. The role of the Head Woman, and Head Man is to lead the dancers in the competitions. When the Host Drums start to play, the Head person will start to dance and then the rest are to follow. The MC is needed to keep the Program going. The MC’s role is to make sure the contests follow the schedule and that the audience is aware of what is going on in the arena. The judges are chosen based on their expertise and knowledge of the dances that are performed. All of these people are paid and taken care of by various committees headed by busy Stanford students.

The Head Staff Committee’s role is to make sure that these people have accepted the responsibility to do their specified job at the Pow Wow, signed their contract, found transportation to the Pow Wow so as to show up on time, have a place to stay while they are working at the Pow Wow, and the Head Staff Committee needs to keep them fed and well taken care of while they work.

The Financial Manager’s job is to make sure the airplane tickets are bought, the hotel for the Head Staff to stay at is paid for, their Honoraria is available when they arrive, and to make sure that the correct people have money to pay for things, such as the MC’s microphones, the judges’ notepads and pens, and that the sound system is manned by a professional. The Fundraising Committee is in charge of raising the money to pay the Head Staff when they arrive, as well as the dancers as they win competitions.

The Contesting Committee heads need to make sure that the dancers who win are documented correctly for tax purposes and given the right amount of cash prize money. These are the people who work all Friday afternoon and then from sun up till 11:00 PM at night, working with the Head Staff and the dancers.

The Facilities Committee has to make sure that the Head Staff has a mode of transportation to and from the airport, to and from the Pow Wow, and that they have chairs and tables to work at, as well as light to see the dancers in the dark and to see their notebooks. The Facilities Committee also ensures that the dancers have the best available arena to dance in and adequate lighting to see. The benches that spectators sit on to watch the dancing also require Facilities Committee heads to file paperwork with outside providers and Stanford.

There are other committees involved in this particular aspect of the Pow Wow and the above descriptions are just a quick overview, but the point is that each job and committee is an integral part of putting on the Annual Stanford Pow Wow; and each job is intense with a lot of responsibility and hard work that not only includes the complete devotion of the students during the weekend of the Pow Wow, but also requires a lot of planning and hard work before the weekend of the event.

As mentioned earlier, the dancing aspect of the Pow Wow is important, but it is not the only thing happening that weekend. Other aspects of the Pow Wow include the booths, parking, camping, security, publications, sales and publicity. All aspects require work from more than one committee, each working together. Every year we pull it off, but every year we go through periods of doubt, doubt that everything will come together and work out. This doubt is not doubt in our abilities, but because we are undermanned and overcharged for certain aspects; in terms of resources such as money and time, the Pow Wow faces major problems each year.

Future Implications, Suggestions and Conclusion

The Stanford Pow Wow has evolved from the small display of Native cultures in the 1970’s to this event, often referred to as one of the “Big Six” Stanford Events, which includes events such as Commencement, Admit Weekend and New Student Orientation. The increase in funds and Native population at Stanford has helped the Pow Wow evolve and helped the Native community to come a long way. But the fact is that it is still not enough. In order for Stanford to continue to be able to include the Stanford Pow Wow in its recruiting video every year to enhance its diverse image, something needs to change, because the Stanford Pow Wow cannot continue to happen if there are not more people to help, and more in kind donations or exceptions made for the services Stanford University requires.

Stanford University requires a lot from the Pow Wow in terms of insurance, grounds and security. Eucalyptus Grove is a relatively new site for the Pow Wow, but there is never a guarantee that the Pow Wow will have a place and each year the Financial Manager must commit time and energy to securing this plot of land. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

Additionally, in order for the event to take place, Stanford requires the Pow Wow to purchase liability insurance as well as clean up, security and the Stanford Police to be employed, among other things. The liability insurance and clean up make sense if the Pow Wow is considered a separate entity from Stanford University. But, if this event is representative of Stanford promoting diversity and is included as one of the major events put on by Stanford University, these requirements seem to be unnecessary. If all of these charges and requirements could be covered by Stanford’s policies and budget, the Pow Wow budget would be cut down considerably. This would not only help the financial status of the Pow Wow, but ensure that the students feel taken care of by the University, as well as backed by the University’s not posing hurdles for the students to overcome.

The Pow Wow is a challenge not only because of University requirements, but because it is a large community event. The committee heads are usually stressed by the tasks they need to perform; sometimes these students do not come back to finish their degrees at Stanford University because they could not handle their full academic load as well as managing the Pow Wow. If the committee heads were given the same encouragement and backing that other students with special circumstances and responsibilities are given, such as athletes, their attrition rate would decrease and their tasks would not seem as daunting.

The Pow Wow is advertised as a Stanford University event to recruit other ethnicities, but especially to recruit Natives. When they arrive to find that there is very little Stanford support given toward the Pow Wow, and that the University instead provides hurdles for Native students to overcome, it is mystifying and de-motivational for them. For example, when I arrived on the Stanford campus, I had seen the Stanford Recruitment video which included Pow Wow clips, and I was shocked to find that the Pow Wow was not supported by the University, and moreover that it was given more requirements and charged increasingly larger bills year to year. To also find that the faculty on campus was not aware of how important and large this event is to the Natives at Stanford was frustrating and upsetting to me.

The Pow Wow continues because Native students face a transition when they come to school at Stanford University. Many come from communities where the majority of the people they grew up with were Natives;, many come from small communities and families and backgrounds which emphasize a different culture and priorities than other students. In order to bring a ‘bit of home’ to the Stanford campus and to educate those around them who may not understand the many different Native ways, Stanford Native students continue to promote and put on the Stanford American Indian Organization Pow Wow. The attempt to break the stereotypical view of what a Native is and how a Native acts is an issue and still a real challenge to Natives today, just like it was in 1970. Stanford University could greatly help the Stanford Native Community by supporting the students who work on the Pow Wow with a faculty that is aware and educated about the event and its importance, as well as giving units for each quarter of the year for student work on the Pow Wow. Making in kind donations in the form of covering the Pow Wow under the University’s Insurance; allowing the Pow Wow committee to find Police officers from around California willing to donate their time instead of requiring that the Pow Wow use Stanford Police; and guaranteeing that the Eucalyptus Grove would be reserved each year for the Pow Wow would help immensely and would not require too much from the University.

Stanford University’s Native population is an important part of its student body, adding to the diversity of the educational experience and bringing together future world leaders from all over in the pursuit of higher education. The Pow Wow is included in Stanford University’s “Big Six” events, and clearly illustrates the importance of our Native event for the University as a whole. The University has a goal for recruiting a diverse student body and has made an effort to welcome the minority groups on campus including Native Americans. It has done well, but the task is not done; there is still work to be done in making Stanford University a home to everyone.