Photograph courtesy of Don Johnson
Native Americans in tribal dress stroll among the booths at the powwow on the West Valley College campus two years ago.
West Valley College holds Powwow
The annual event offers, music, art, dancing and food
By Shari Kaplan
This Saturday, West Valley College, 14000 Fruitvale Ave. in Saratoga, transforms itself from a campus traversed by backpack-toting students to a sacred Native American gathering ground--at least for 12 hours--dotted with dancers, drummers, artisans and food booths during the college's 11th annual Powwow.
From noon to midnight on Oct. 2, the lawn area outside the Learning Services building--or the inside of the Campus Center in the event of rain--offers visitors of all ethnic backgrounds a chance to see, hear, smell, taste and touch a bit of the United States' native history and culture.
Traditional foods will be served, and authentic arts and crafts will be displayed by Native American vendors.
"I think people get kind of homesick for where they came from. At Powwows, people dance and talk and eat, and it's a really great way for the Indian community to get together and visit," says Don Johnson, a member of the Powwow committee, adviser to the WVC Intertribal Council and longtime instructor of psychology with a Native American emphasis.
"More and more of the young people in California are also going back to their roots. Whenever I ask in my classes if anyone has any Indian blood, six or seven hands always go up," says Johnson, a native of the Dakotas whose heritage includes one-quarter Lakota Sioux.
At the Powwow, emceed by Orvie Longhorn of the Kiowa tribe, individual dancers of all ages, as well as troupes, will perform sacred and festive dances of their various tribes, such as the Gourd Dance and Grass Dance. The performers will be joined by a variety of drummers and musicians. Dancers and drummers not part of an organized group are also welcome to celebrate and "jam" at the Powwow.
"A certain amount of the Powwow is spiritual--how you connect yourself with the earth, living in harmony with nature rather than trying to conquer or control it," Johnson adds.
"The drums are so strong that you can feel them pounding in your chest; it's like your heart gets in sync with the rhythm of the earth. I feel so proud when I walk out there for the first dance, to be dancing at my school, with my students and for my community."
The Powwow is sponsored by the college's Native American Scholarship Foundation and the Native American Indian Club. Proceeds benefit the West Valley-Mission College District's American Indian Scholarship Fund. For more information, call 408.741.2530.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
