The university’s largest multicultural festival honors Native American heritage.
Photographs by Ryan A. Jae and Adam Pardee
The 47th annual Stanford Powwow was held for three days over this past weekend on the university campus.
As one of the largest powwows on the West Coast, Stanford’s student-run annual celebration of Native American culture draws a wide range of participants, representing a diverse array of indigenous people from around North America (this year’s event included Mapuche, Paiute, Oglala Lakota Sioux and Navajo, to name just a few).
The festival included an art market (featuring Native American crafts and handmade jewelry), a family-oriented fun run and a wide range of different foods, from fry bread to “Indian tacos.”
The music and dance competitions are among the most anticipated of the events at the powwow, showcasing a variety of participants fully dressed in traditional attire and ceremonial regalia.
First held in the spring of 1971, the inaugural event was organized shortly after the Stanford American Indian Organization formed one year earlier as a means of greater representation for Native American students in both community and curriculum.
