NC State’s annual Powwow event makes comeback to celebrate Native cultures

Selina Urieta-Garcia Correspondent

For 35 years, NC State has hosted Powwow events on campus to celebrate Indigenous cultures throughout North Carolina and recognize them and their tribes.

Powwow is a cultural celebration that originated from the past to bring all Native American tribes together through socialization, dances, drumming and various foods. Although NC State hosted Powwow for all Native peoples, each Native tribe celebrates Powwow in their own way during different months.

“I feel like a lot of people see [Native Americans] as in the past, like our history ended with a Trail of Tears and that was it, nothing else after,” said Lee Chavis-Tartaglia, a member of the Lumbee Tribe and second-year studying history and anthropology.

Chavis-Tartaglia also serves as vice president of the Native American Student Association and a Powwow committee member.

“Being able to show the students here on campus that we still exist today in a variety of forms is very important since there’s been issues on campus with people not knowing who we are and not knowing that we’re still alive today,” Chavis-Tartaglia said.

Powwow at NC State is an event where Native American students are able to show the people on campus a part of their different cultures and who they are in today’s society.

NC State’s Native American Student Association and American Indian Science and Engineering Society hosted the 32nd annual NC State Powwow Saturday, April 1 inside Carmichael Gym. Over 500 participants joined the social gathering that included Native jewelry vendors, clothing vendors, drum groups, dance competitions, raffles and Native foods.

Nathan Campbell, a third-year studying computer science and member of the Lumbee Tribe, is head of the Powwow committee and has worked on the event since November 2022.

“The history of Powwow is something that is ingrained in our culture,” Campbell said. “Like the same way certain people go to events every year, this is our event. This is our home base. This is where we branch off from. It’s a celebration, and that’s the biggest thing.”

Along with the importance of Powwow, the main goal of this event was to present the various cultures of Native peoples to the NC State community.

“I think there’s a big misconception with a lot of people who think that Native cultures and tribes are the same,” said Mya Lowry, a member of the Lumbee Tribe, second-year studying political science, Native American Student Association member and Powwoww committee member.

Lowry echoed this idea, adding that this misconception leads to stereotyping.

“When people think of Native Americans, a lot of people think of one standard stereotype, but when you come to a Powwow you get to see many different tribes and you get to see the differences between cultures and how people do things differently,” Lowry said.

This year’s Powwow logo, which was created by Chavis-Tartaglia, included the words “Resilience” and “Existence.” ChavisTartaglia said they envisioned it through stories they have been told.

“Part of the logo design was me thinking, ‘what are stories that I knew of or I’ve been told,’” Chavis-Tartaglia said. “I knew I wanted a wolf involved, since dogs were very important to Native peoples across the continent even during colonial times. I was told that crossing arrows was a sign of friendship and circles are a very important iconography because it represents the con- stant flow of life. I wanted to show people who come to our Powwow they’re coming into a welcoming space.”

Chavis-Tartaglia is also a self-taught beader who participated as a vendor at the event for their beading business.

“I got into beading because I wanted to be closer to my culture,” Chavis-Tartaglia said. “I’ve always grown up in my culture, but just something about crafting really brings you closer. I guess it connects you more.”

Campbell said it’s essential to have Powwows at NC State in order to recognize the Native peoples and their cultures on campus.

“It’s important for us to come together and do something that’s not school, do something that gets close to our culture, because if we don’t keep our culture alive, who will?” Campbell said.

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