"I come out every year," Morgan said, estimating that she has attended the Pow-wow for the past 10 years. "I have always felt completely moved by the drumming and singing and dancing. That's why I come out -- and maybe there's a little fried dough over there for me too."
This year's Pow-wow, which was held on the Green over the weekend, was the most highly attended since the event's inception in 1972. Samuel Kohn '09, who chaired this year's function, estimated that the turnout was somewhere between 2,500 and 3,000 people -- a large step from the Pow-wow's original incarnation as a small event at Storr's Pond.
Kohn said he was extremely pleased with the number of people who attended the event.
"[The Pow-wow] is a great chance for people to come out and take a few minutes to learn about the Native American community," he said.
Many of the attendees were residents of the Upper Valley, a group whom Kohn highlighted as important to the Pow-wow.
"The people of the Upper Valley have adopted [the Pow-wow] not only as a Dartmouth event, but also as an event that's an essential part of spring," Kohn said.
Concord resident Cate Williamson, for example, ended up at the Pow-wow by chance, after taking a drive on Sunday from her home.
"We are here totally by accident," Williamson said. "We don't really know what it is that we've happened upon, but we're pretty excited about it."
Williamson and her family spent part of the afternoon enjoying the dance competition -- an integral part of the celebration. Competitions were held throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday in various dance categories, including the women's "jingle dance," in which dancers' outfits are accented with tobacco can lids to produce a sound that can represent either waves of water or thunder. The jingling sound is said to scare away bad spirits.
Lauren Merrick, a dancer with the Mystic River Singers group, cited the chance to visit a college campus and interaction with dancers as the highlight of her experience at the Pow-wow.
The best part? "Just seeing different people and dancing," she said.
This year's Pow-wow also marked the debut of the "potato dance," which requires partners to hold a potato between their heads while dancing. Kohn said to the dance was a highlight of the weekend.
"It was a true success," he said. "It really got the crowd involved."
Several people were honored during the celebration. On Saturday, Yuki Kondo-Shah '07 and Student Body President Tim Andreadis '07 were recognized for their support of the Native American community at Dartmouth.
The Pow-wow also included a film showing on Saturday morning, and a Comedy Jam on Saturday night.
In addition to watching these events, visitors browsed the vendor stands that lined the side of the Green and offered a variety of food, clothing, jewelry and other wares for sale.
George English, a Vermont resident who has been selling jewelry at the Dartmouth Pow-wow for 10 years, said the event's connection to Dartmouth is one of the reasons why he continues to set up a stand each year.
"I do it to support the Native Americans and the College," English said, noting that he gives Dartmouth students a discount -- a markdown he also extended to mothers on Sunday in honor of Mothers' Day.
Many Dartmouth students took a break from their normal weekend routines to get involved in the events.
Michelle Gladstone '08, who identified herself Native American, ended up at the event after taking a study break from a sociology paper, and stayed for several hours.
"It's a little taste of home," Gladstone said of the event.
For his part, Kohn said he was pleased with the Pow-wow.
"A Pow-wow is always a celebration, and I don't think you can ever hold a celebration that doesn't go better than you planned," Kohn said.
