The last Harvard Powwow happened in the spring of 2019 and after a lot of preparation, it returned this fall!
A powwow is a gathering of Indigenous people that involves traditional dances, music (drumming and singing), and other social aspects. Powwows usually bring in a variety of people from different tribes and nations, and even those who do not identify as Indigenous come to watch and learn more about our traditions and practices! As a current first year undergraduate student at Harvard, I was very excited to hear that the Harvard Powwow was returning this year and after attending and volunteering at the Powwow, it has easily become one of my favorite events that I am looking forward to attending each year!
I got involved with the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP) as soon as I got on campus as a first-year student. As an indigenous/Native American identifying student at Harvard it was extremely important to me to find a Native community here and that is exactly what I found within HUNAP. From attending the first of their many open houses and various events I instantly felt at home with the other Native students and the HUNAP staff. I was very excited to hear that the Harvard Powwow was happening this year after a few year hiatus due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and eager to get involved! I signed up to be a volunteer at the powwow with a few of my other first-year friends also involved with HUNAP and Natives at Harvard College (NaHC)!
The planning of the powwow is a year-round event and the planning for the 2024 powwow has already begun. HUNAP put a lot of work into planning and organizing the powwow along with a student planning committee that is composed of Native students. After a lot of preparation, the big day was finally here! I was also ecstatic to be taking over the Harvard Admissions instagram account and covering the powwow for the day! The Harvard Powwow had some really awesome vendors, from traditional beaded jewelry, abstract art pieces, clothing items, and more!
Aside from shopping at powwows and meeting other Indigenous people from different tribes and nations, there’s one of the main events of the powwow, Grand Entry! Grand entry is an opening ceremony where all the dancers enter the arena circle while the drum circles each take turns performing a song. At the Harvard Powwow Grand Entry is led by an elder or an alum in the HUNAP community which is also when the procession of the HUNAP staff is done. There were about 25 registered dancers this year who performed the traditional dances that they registered for. There were also community dances to welcome new members of the Harvard Indigenous community such as myself, a first-year student at the college! We all got to introduce ourselves. There were a variety of people in this group of new members to the Harvard Indigenous community and I was excited to meet them and honored to stand amongst them.
The return of the Harvard Powwow this year brought around 1,500 people in attendance! The HUNAP Assistant Director, Jordan Clark, is hopeful that this number will continue to increase, that more HUNAP students will participate, and to have an overall growth of the powwow. He also wants the Harvard Powwow to be a moment of hope in the school year that Harvard Native students can feel proud and share who they are in the community!
Being an Indigenous student at Harvard it can feel pretty isolating at times and the Harvard powwow along with HUNAP and NaHC are a wonderful space for Indigenous students on campus to feel more connected to our traditions and culture while also finding camaraderie and family amongst each other! I am excited to continue attending HUNAP and NaHC events throughout my time at Harvard, especially the Harvard Powwow!
