Twelve groups of drummers sang songs of encouragement for students, alumni, and visitors of the 27th Annual Cal State Long Beach Pow-Wow, filling the arena with the heartbeat of all Native American people this weekend.
David Binder, a resident of Santa Ana, brought his wife, Kathy, and their four children to the Pow-Wow. David Binder, who is a member of the Yankton tribe in the Sioux Nation, said his work in the military has separated him from his culture.
"We come to Pow-Wows to get back to my people," Binder said. We're trying to learn the ways and pass them on to our kids." Binder's 10-year-old son, Willie, said he has been to six Pow-Wows. The greatest allure, for him, is the sight of the dancers in their traditional native costumes.
"They are colorful, and I like the way dance."
80-year-old Charlotte Ortiz, who was a community advisor to the CSULB American Indian Student Council in the 1970's, drove from South Dakota with her son and daughter this weekend to reunite with friends and family at the Pow-Wow.
American Indian Studies Program Professor Craig Stone, said that for people to come from great lengths to attend the annual event is not unusual.
"Many of us are not of blood relation," Stone said," but we are an extended family of sorts."
Stone likens the Pow-Wow to a homecoming for Native Americans who have worked or lived in California. He said the dances, songs and traditions are an opportunity for all Native Americans to "come back" to their culture.
"The Pow-Wow creates a social space that elevates Indian ways, and instills those values," Stone said.
The Pow-Wow allows urban Native Americans to balance out the individualistic values imposed by their environments. "Everybody in the arena must put aside all animosity and get into a group consciousness," Stone said.
"The old people say that if you sing, dance and stay in the arena long enough you don't have time to think about bad things. This is our chance to shine outward, and get balanced and stable."
The CSULB Pow-Wow is one of the oldest in the Southwest. The American Indian Studies Program is held on the site of the ancient Village of Puvungna, the land inhabited by the Gabrielino Indians called Tongva.
According to Stone, who worked on this year's Pow-Wow committee, Puvungna has three translations which reflect the fellowship and spirit shared at the Pow-Wow.
They are: Gathering Place, ball of people, and place from which all things stem.
Visitors gathered at the two-day event and experienced native traditions as well as native food and arts. According to Stone, even the non-Indian visitors were welcomed to dance in the Pow-Wow arena.
"There is a place for everybody in the arena," Stone said. "Everybody comes to help out. The best thing you can say to someone who came is ÔThanks for coming and helping out.'"