On the morning of May 4, the Native Student Alliance (NSA) and fellow volunteers met bright and early to set up the thípi, coming together to share a moment before the long day ahead. Led in prayer by alumni Reshawn Eddison, they shared a blessing of the land and started setting up the 14th annual New Beginnings Powwow.
This year, people from various backgrounds and student associations offered a helping hands to the Native Student Alliance. Volunteers and helpers alike followed the lead of NSA Powwow Co-Chairs fourth-year Joslyn Running Wolf and third-year Isabella Fridia. NSA aims to make the Powwow as accessible as possible for DU community members, ensuring that everyone can come and enjoy indigenous dance. The New Beginning’s Powwow is entirely prepared and led by the University of Denver Indigenous students, with help from faculty and staff members such as Native American Liaison and Program Manager Stevie La Pointe, and Native Student Alliance Advisor Kelly Fayard.
M.C. Andy Cozad, with deep reverence, initiated the day of festivities with the Gourd Dance, a tribute to the Indigenous veterans who courageously served in the U.S. military. Cozad’s words reminded the members that the moment of the Powwow is a celebration and a time to honor those who fought bravely for a country that never fought for them. After commemorating the members’ relatives’ sacrifice and holding space for those no longer with us, they commenced Grand Entry.
Grand Entry is the first time in a powwow where dancers of all different styles and tribal affiliations get to share the floor. Dancers are led around the dance circle by various community leaders, allowing everyone attending to take in all the similarities and differences between one another. Grand Entry is often noted as the ‘send off’ for most Powwows, opening the day ahead with a shared dance.
The Eagle Staff, Indigenous Veterans of Colorado, color guard and Head Dancers — Xavier Toehay, Shelby Mata, Charlie Whiteshield, and Hailey Hawk — led the Grand Entry. They were followed shortly by a group of Indigenous high school students from Denver public schools using the time in Grand Entry to commemorate those who have been affected by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) epidemic, creating space and remembering those who could not attend. They created signs filled with information to bring awareness to the cause and stood in solidarity with domestic violence victims and those experiencing intra-personal violence.
From Saskatchewan, Canada, to New Mexico, U.S., Indigenous people from all over North America came to dance at New Beginnings. Over 90 dancers from various tribes attended, representing their families and respective communities. They adorned their beautifully and carefully made regalias, expressing themselves through vibrant colors and materials. Dancers ranged from 70 years of age to 4, exemplifying how diverse and rich the Powwow trail is.
Each dancer’s outfit is hand-crafted by their own community members, and each individual part of their regalia has a unique significance to the dancer. Depending on their tribal affiliation, this significance will vary but it’s important to note how personal Powwow dancing is. The Powwow dancing tradition is often passed down through family and is used as a way to strengthen kinship in Indigenous communities.
The NSA Powwow Committee hosted multiple dance competitions, such as Traditional Men’s and Women’s, Fancy Shawl, Jingle Dress dances and many more. Dancers of all styles were given the opportunity to shine through their respective traditions. Social dances were also hosted as NSA president Rosie Molina sponsored the Sweet Potato Dance, a fun social in which two people hold a sweet potato with the bridges of their noses — no hands. M.C. Steve LaPointe gave Simon said-inspired commands, challenging participants to keep up. First and second-place winners were rewarded with two ribbon skirts and a vest Rosie hand-crafted.
The night was filled with community empowerment. Sena Harjo, Tribal Liaison & Community Engagement Lead of The Department Of Early Childhood, and her family donated crates of children’s stories, all written by Indigenous authors. All attendees were welcome to take books, and children were given little gift bags curated by NSA in collaboration with The Harjo Family. These bags included coloring books, bubbles and many more fun trinkets for children to enjoy. M.C. Steve Lapoint and Andy Cozad shared encouraging words and thanked all the students attending, emphasizing the importance of education and the power of knowledge.
New Beginnings Powwow concluded with intertribal rounds, a dance in which everyone was encouraged to participate, whether in regalia or not. Many first-time Powwow participants came down to enjoy the beat of the drums and learn traditional dances such as a Round Dance. Indigenous community members were encouraging and welcoming to attendees, sharing their cultures and forms of celebration with each other.
Co-Chairs Fridia and Running Wolf shared a few words about the Powwow. Considering the history of DU and its correlation to the Sand Creek massacre, the significance of having a Powwow on campus grounds weighs heavy on the Co-Chairs. They’ve expressed immense gratitude for this space and the opportunity to help bring community members together for a time of celebration.
Both Co-Chairs have participated in Powwows since they were young. They both have avidly expressed love for their cultures through their own traditional dances and attendance of cultural events such as DU’s Powwow. Fridia is of Kiowa, Kaddo Wichita and Hunka Oglala Lakota descent. While Running Wolf is Blackfeet, Kiowa, Cheyenne and Arapaho. Using their knowledge of the Powwow world and how previous Powwows have ran, they did an amazing job of collaborating with various Indigenous members to meticulously plan this year’s event.
“It means everything. The DU New Beginnings Powwow has become one of the biggest events hosted on campus each year,” Joslyn remarked. Joslyn has helped plan and coordinate the New Beginnings Powwow since 2022 when she was the first Powwow Co-chair. She uses her indigenous traditions and knowledge to help make the Powwow the wonderful event it is. Isabella is only a second year, but so far she has also been heavily involved with the Powwow. As she dances herself in Powwows year round, she takes pride in expressing herself through traditional dance and through planning events such as these.
Running Wolf shared her connection to the Powwow and explained why it meant so much.
“I am a direct descendant of the Sand Creek Massacre and from the original Powwow tribes, so to be able to host a celebration as big and notable as this one means everything. This is why our theme this year is The Dawn of Resiliency.”
Indigenous community members used this year’s Powwow as a platform to highlight each other’s strength through trying times. There were multiple moments throughout the night where the M.Cs (Lapointe and Cozad) highlighted specific community member struggles, telling stories of their shared hardships.
Resiliency and fortitude are imperative values to many Indigenous people who have faced the effects of settler colonization and Manifest Destiny. The implications of the Sand Creek Massacre and DU’s founder John Evans‘s contributions leave a heavy burden for many Indigenous students. The University’s past with the Indigenous communities of Colorado has not stopped students from speaking out and expressing their identities. This Powwow is an opportunity to celebrate how far these communities have come, and as well as how important it is to be proud of where we come from.
“We, as Native students and as Native people, have gone through and survived so much in order to be here, and yet despite everything the founders of this school had done to people, to all native people here residing in Colorado, here we are throwing a Powwow on school grounds,” said Running Wolf.
To Fridia, the space to dance her traditional dances and to be able to express her cultural identity is imperative to her time at DU. Isabella shared the importance of indigenizing her spaces and taking back her culture.
“We know with the history of DU and the atrocities of the Sand Creek massacre, I believe this [the Powwow] is important to have every year, to show the DU community and people who think we may not be here that we are still here and we still have a space. We can make space for ourselves anywhere,” said Fridia.
Both Co-Chairs have emphasized the Powwow’s significance and the path of reparations the event opens. “The Powwow not only broadens the horizon of the greater DU community but within our own Indigenous community as well,” said Isabella. With the help of DU community members, NSA continues to create spaces for indigenous art and expression. This event is more than just a dance celebration to NSA members. This Powwow is one of the first steps to decolonizing their own lifestyles and creating a strong community foundation for not only themselves, but their entire tribes and families.
“A Powwow here is a huge stepping stone for future generations as well…Hopefully, this will be a space for Indigenous students who may not be as connected to their cultures to inspire them to reach out. Hopefully, they’ll want to learn more about their cultures, languages, and traditions,’’ said Fridia. Normalizing seeing Indigenous events in modern times is imperative to reclaiming culture, as there is no ‘set’ time for a celebration like this. In Indigenous communities, Powwows happen all year round and for so many different reasons. It’s important to give Indigenous students of DU a chance to not only connect with campus community members and faculty but other Indigenous community members outside of campus as well.
This year’s Powwow ended on a high note, with NSA members looking forward to next year. Coming into Powwow with no prior knowledge can feel somewhat intimidating, but DU community members strive to make an all-inclusive space for those to come learn. NSA Powwow co-chairs left advice for those who have never attended a Powwow before, leaving some mindful tips for those who plan on attending next year.
“The biggest pieces of advice I can give are to be open-minded and be respectful. Powwows are a place of celebration and coming together, we even have intertribal which can be joined by people, regardless of [whether] you’re native or not, dressed in regalia or not, they are for everyone. As for the second one, respect goes a long way. Dancer’s outfits and feathers are meant to be handled with care and intention; even with other Native people, you have to ask or be given permission to touch someone else’s feathers,” Joselyn remarked.
“The Powwow’s a family event; it’s very intimate and based in the community, kind of a happy and spiritual place to be. When you see a dancer and their beautiful regalia, don’t touch their outfits and always ask for pictures. Some of our regalia pieces are spiritual, so it’s important to respect them. Just be respectful and have fun. Take it as a learning experience and allow it to open new doors for you.” said Fridia.
Native Student Alliance strives to promote the sharing of cultural knowledge and expression and encourages others to participate in whichever way they feel comfortable. Attendees are more than welcome to come down and dance with each other during intertribal and social dances, but there’s no pressure to do so. Showing up to events such as these and presenting a willingness to engage and learn with each other goes a long way and helps build community bridges.
“All in all, I would say to just come out and have fun and support our local small businesses by shopping at our vendors located next to the arena,” said Running Wolf.
