By Anna Onstad-Hargrave
Bridging different communities together through music was the outcome of one of the most colorful events on campus.
The Native American Student Association transformed a gymnasium in the Field House into a colorful display of culture for its 22nd Powwow on April 16.
Powwow is a North American Indian ceremony involving singing and dancing, especially among friends or colleague. Throughout the event, members of the group held drum contests and several different dances. There were also numerous vendors along the walls.
Haley Henscheid, the co-president of the association, said Powwow is its biggest event of the year.
“On one hand, it’s a community thing,” Henscheid said. “Natives from around the area and also non-natives come to enjoy this event and enjoy our culture. On the other hand, it’s also about awareness and letting people know that there are Native Americans on campus and in Iowa.”
She said members hope that attendees enjoyed the event and are more aware of the Native American traditions and dances.
“We want them to get a sense of who we are,” Henscheid said.
She said it can be difficult for Native American students to feel comfortable at the UI because of the small population of Native American students at the University.
“At the University of Iowa, there’s around 50 native students,” Henscheid said. “It can be hard for natives to go to school when they’re not around their culture.”
According to data from the Chief Diversity Office, Alaskan Native or American Indian students made up 0.16 percent or 51 people of the 31,387 total UI student enrollment in Fall 2015.
Because of the small number of members, Henscheid said, the association sometimes has difficulties putting on powwow.
“Sometimes, it’s hard,” she said. “This is a really big event. We’re hoping to expand it to be more than one day but it’s hard with only six or seven of us, who are all full-time students.”
Still, group member Xiomara Santana said it’s important for the community to put on this event.
“It’s about bringing the community together because some of the vendors come all the way from the Quad Cities and Chicago, and the tribes travel here, too,” she said. “It’s about bringing everybody together.”
Member Jazmin Lopez said she was attracted to the group because of the closeness of the community.
“Even though it’s a small number of people, I liked how close everybody was and how tight-knit the group was,” she said.
Henscheid was pleased with this year’s Powwow.
“It’s really nice to see people come out and have such a full house,” she said. “We generally have a good turnout. There’s people who travel from Nebraska, from Minnesota, from South Dakota, and a lot of people from Tama and other places in the larger Midwest.”
