The Native Americans at Dartmouth will host their 27th Annual Pow-wow, weather-permitting on the Green, this Saturday and Sunday.
According to NAD council member James Simermeyer '00, a pow-wow "is a fun gathering when people from all over get to come together and socialize and share with each other."
The Pow-wow annually draws about 1,000 people from the Dartmouth student body, other local communities and places as far away as Canada and Alaska.
Pow-wow Chair Arvina Martin '02 said Dartmouth's Pow-wow is the second biggest in the Northeast.
She said people hear of it by word of mouth and through advertising in local publications and at other college campuses.
"I think a lot of it is a celebration of the diversity within the Native American Community," NAD member Richard Sherman '01 said. "The Pow-wow transcends the different tribes."
He said Dartmouth's Pow-wow brings together members of a wide diversity of tribes, students at the College come from a variety of backgrounds.
Simermeyer said compared to the Pow-wows that he has attended in the past, Dartmouth's is small, but NAD member Catherine McCarthy '99 said for her, Dartmouth's Pow-wow is larger than the ones she grew up with.
According to Simermeyer, the Pow-wow will host about 100 dancers and 40 venders who will sell native crafts from booths and tables that are set up on the Green.
He said the dancers will participate in competitions that will be judged by Dartmouth students and the larger Native American community on the basis of their style of dress and their style of dancing. The dancers will be divided into age-appropriate subgroups.
Martin said Dartmouth's Pow-wow is special because it allows the Native American students to share parts of their culture with the other members of the community who are not familiar with the Native American songs and dances.
McCarthy said Dartmouth's Pow-wow is different because it is all student run instead of being controlled by a tribe or a community center.
She said NAD does a lot of fundraising to prepare for the annual event, and that the organization usually raises about $40,000.
She said the money goes towards paying for lodging for the drums that are invited to perform at the Pow-wow, for the use of facilities and for the free community dinner that will be held this year on Saturday night.
According to Martin, preparations for the Pow-wow began during the Summer term.
She said NAD had to raise money to fund the Pow-wow, invite people to be host drums, dancers, arena directors and a master of ceremonies. They also had to organize and decide on a menu for the community dinner.
"I think it will run smoothly," she said.
Provided that it does not rain for the third consecutive year, this year will be the first time the annual Pow-wow has been held on the Green since the College gave NAD permission to use the Green in 1997 prompted by student protests.
Otherwise, the event will take place again in Thompson Arena.
Simermeyer said holding the Pow-wow on the Green will be better than holding it in Thompson Arena.
"It will be nicer because it's a little more central and more people get involved," he said.
