The Stanford University Pow Wow

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The Stanford University Pow Wow

Eucalyptus Grove comes alive with the beat of the drums, sending chills of power trickling down your spine. All around you are people, over 30,000 weaving in and out of over 100 booths. Despite the tickle of your nose from the dust kicked up by the passionate dancers in the arena, you are greeted by the smell of foods representative of different tribes. The crowd is colorful in dress, face and purpose; the songs represent and evoke different emotions. You have just entered the Stanford American Indian Organization’s Annual Pow Wow.

The excitement and festivities last from Friday night till Sunday at dusk, when the last Grand Entry occurs during every Mother’s Day weekend. It is an annual phenomenon pulled off by diligent, committed and dedicated students from all different tribes and areas of North America. Their reasons differ, but they all share the same goal: to make it happen.

Each year, the same basic obstacles are overcome. A budget of roughly $150,000 is raised and spent each year. For every Pow Wow, the Native Community is faced with the problem of not only raising that money, but finding enough people to head the 15 committees. The students from the Native Community who step up to the challenge of putting on this event are all full-time students, carrying full academic loads, while still trying to lead a balanced life with friends, family and other extracurricular interests. The responsibility, long hours and the magnitude of the Pow Wow tends to be daunting, so that not many people are willing to head up the committees. But each year, we motivate each other to get the job done. One might ask, why do we continue to tackle the Pow Wo...

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...the Pow Wow use Stanford Police; and guaranteeing that the Eucalyptus Grove would be reserved each year for the Pow Wow would help immensely and would not require too much from the University.

Stanford University’s Native population is an important part of its student body, adding to the diversity of the educational experience and bringing together future world leaders from all over in the pursuit of higher education. The Pow Wow is included in Stanford University’s “Big Six” events, and clearly illustrates the importance of our Native event for the University as a whole. The University has a goal for recruiting a diverse student body and has made an effort to welcome the minority groups on campus including Native Americans. It has done well, but the task is not done; there is still work to be done in making Stanford University a home to everyone.

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