Around 400 community members, students, vendors and performers packed the stands and gym floor for the 41st annual powwow, celebrating the College's dedication to Native American education, identity and culture.
While the powwow is typically held on the Green, rain and wet grass forced the organizers to relocate to Leede, prompting concerns of decreased attendance.
"The Green is such a central location," powwow committee co-president Monica Stretten '15 said. "It really shows our presence."
Co-president Preston Wells '15, however, said he was pleased with the change.
"When we're on the Green we have a lot of passerbys who will watch for a little bit and leave," said Wells, a member of the Choctaw tribe. "Here you had people sitting in the bleachers and watching the whole thing. Leede Arena is great for us as far as set up it's easy to get in, get out."
Powwow, an American version of the Native American term pauau, refers to a gathering of the elders. Head emcee Marvin Burnette, a member of the Rosebud Sioux tribe of South Dakota, called the event a "continuation of all Native cultures." Burnette has attended the Dartmouth powwow for 25 years and emcees other powwows across the country.
"I want to ensure that Native Americans, after all the years of adversity, we're still here," Burnette said. "We have respect of who we are individually."
The festivities began on Saturday at 7 a.m. with a blessing of the grounds by Native American studies professor Vera Palmer. Following an elaborate entry at noon, dancers performed in competitions for the remainder of the afternoon. At 6 p.m., the revelry moved outside, when the rain had momentarily stopped, for a community dinner.
Dancing competitions continued on Sunday. Vendors sold Native American crafts and dress outside in tents, attracting a steady crowd of buyers. After the women's dance competition, the emcee called all mothers to the center of the arena for a special Mother's Day celebration. Powwow committee members handed each woman a carnation, and the host drum honored them with a song.
The committee, composed exclusively of freshmen and sophomores, began planning the event in the fall.
They selected the host drum, Braveheart, a group hailing from Pine Ridge, S.D. after seeing their performance at the powwow last year.
"We try to bring in people who realize it is a community family event," Wells said. "We bring in people who are professional and respectful."
The powwow attracts visitors from the Northeast and Canada, and the vendors and dancers know each other from various powwows along the Eastern seaboard. Wells said the committee tried to attract more locals to bring attention to the underestimated presence of Native Americans in New England.
Of the powwow committee's $40,000 budget, $20,000 came from the President's Office to honor the College's original charter commitment to Native American education. The committee raised funds for the remainder.
"The President's Office is very respectful of that charter and supportive of what we're doing on campus," Wells said. "Powwow is in the fabric of Dartmouth College."
Stanford University held its 42nd annual powwow this weekend in Eucalyptus Grove. Attracting crowds of up to 10,000 visitors per day, it is the largest student-run powwow in the country.
