NC State Powwow Celebrates Native American Culture

On Saturday, April 5 from 12-5 p.m., members of the Wolfpack and surrounding communities are invited to Miller Field for a celebration of Native American culture. 

NC State’s 35th annual Powwow, hosted by Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), the Native American Student Association and American Indians in Science and Engineering Society, is open to students, faculty, staff and community members from all backgrounds and will feature vendors, traditional drum groups and the display of different Indigenous dance styles. 

Gavin Bell, one of MSA’s assistant directors, explained that collegiate powwows in North Carolina originated over 30 years ago as a way for students to represent their Native cultures at their universities. 

“I think one of the questions we always get asked from non-Native students is ‘Am I allowed to come?’ That’s actually the point,” Bell said. “The point of these collegiate Powwows is for different communities to come out there to engage and learn. So it came out of a desire to bring the culture to a community that may not have another opportunity to see the culture, especially if they don’t travel to a tribal community.” 

Bell, a member of the Lumbee Tribe in North Carolina, explained that Native communities at universities in the United States are often a mix of students who grew up immersed in their Native culture by regularly attending powwows and other events, while others were less connected to their culture. 

“The assumption is that they all must be well versed in their culture,” Bell said. “Maybe they are versed in their culture, maybe they’re not. So powwow is a way for students that are well versed to be able to bring that forward. But it’s also, I think, empowering for a lot of our Native students to be able to see their culture, sometimes in probably the most vivid way that they’ve seen it in their lifetime. Because now they have a role in planning it and learning about it in more of a hands-on way.”

For students involved in planning and putting on NC State’s Powwow, such as Trinity Locklear, a fourth-year student studying criminology, that aforementioned ability to bring powwow culture forward is a highlight of the school year. 

Locklear, also a member of the Lumbee Tribe, grew up going to powwows across North Carolina and the United States. She called it a family reunion of sorts for tribal communities, and, as part of the events planning committee at NC State, she plays a pivotal role in bringing that cultural connection to her fellow Native students. 

“It means a lot to have this on campus, just because we have so many kids who probably didn’t grow up in their indigenous communities,” Locklear said. “And then they get to learn about themselves, have a hand at the table and say I’m a part of this, this is my family, this is my culture.”

Charlize Evans, a third-year student studying psychology and a member of the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, also grew up attending powwows in North Carolina and beyond. 

Evans said that powwow demonstrated her tribal identity from a young age, and one of her best ways to connect with her culture is dancing at powwows. 

“It’s the best thing in the world,” Evans said. “I know a lot of people think of clubs, activities and sports as their outlet, but, for me, dancing is my outlet. Not even do I just enjoy it and have fun doing it, but it’s a way to really stay in touch with my culture. It makes it feel even better when you’re doing it and it was done hundreds of years ago.”

Evans, who is the head of the student Powwow committee this school year, knew from a young age that she wanted to attend NC State, and the school’s annual Powwow was one of many such events she grew up attending. 

Now, she gets to play a pivotal role in helping her fellow Native students find that same cultural connection. 

“It’s definitely a full-circle moment for me,” Evans said. “At NC State, a lot of the students in our association did not grow up going to powwows, and a lot of them did not grow up in Native communities. So to know that I’m able to help them in a way that they can learn the aspect of their lives and bring them the joy that I’ve felt in my life means a lot to me. It’s nice to know that I’m giving back to the community that raised me.”

For NC State’s non-Native community, Powwow is a way to learn about Native culture in an educational, familiar setting on campus. 

Bell explained that the setting of powwow lends itself to non-Native community members feeling comfortable asking questions about Native culture in a respectful manner. 

“If you have a spirit where you want to hear the answer, I’m going to tell you the answer,” Bell said. “Native people are a very dialogue-oriented people. We love to talk about our culture, if the person actually wants to hear the answer and they’re respectful about it. Powwow celebrates a very unique culture that’s often put in the past, so it allows you to see an authentic view of a unique culture, but it’s also one of those things where those baselines of relationship, that exchange of knowledge, passion, that core of powwow is what makes it so big, and I think that’s why it’s continued to thrive for probably the last 30-40 years.” 

Locklear, who is hosting a powwow etiquette course for volunteers this year, explained that, for Native students attending or organizing Powwow, being able to share their culture with their friends in the community is one of the strongest elements. 

“It just creates a space of openness to where they’re comfortable, and they can have this connection with us, because then it becomes another part of our family,” Locklear said. “In the Lumbee community, we have a saying that when we have family or friends who aren’t Native, but they’re immersed in our culture, they come to powwow, we call them honorary Lumbee. We all have that connection.”