Native American Student Services brings back powwow tradition to Idaho State University
Native American Student Services (NASS) club members at the ISU social powwow on April 5.
By BREE BAKER
Sho-Ban News
POCATELLO — The Idaho State University (ISU) Social Powwow was Saturday April 5, at Reed Gym in Pocatello.
Grand entries were at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and a community feast was from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Two ISU students served as head dancers, Wrendon Osborne from Pocatello served as Head Man and Ontaria Arrow-White from Fort Hall, served as Head Woman. The Master of Ceremonies was Matt Wilson from Muskogee, Oklahoma and the Arena Director was Stephen Kniffin from Fort Hall. Local drum group Spring Creek served as Host Drum.
Native American Student Services (NASS) Coordinator Effie Hernandez said the students were the ones who got together to put the event on and bring back tradition to ISU. The headman and headwoman both sponsored specials during the social powwow — Wrendon Osborne put on a Men’s Fancy Dance special where Nakeezaka Jack won first place and Ty Bear second place.
Ontaria Arrow-White put on two specials, grand entry and intertribal champions specials. The Grand Entry Champions special awarded three dancers per session. Winners for the first session include Conner Honena picked the blue bunny for first place, Nona Coando picked the pink bunny for second place, and Kyson Longhat picked the yellow bunny for third place. Winners for the second session were Salisha Abeyta who picked the first place egg, Kota Whitewolf picked the second place egg, and Michael Bahe picked the third place egg. The Intertribal Champions special awarded five winners per session. The family chose dancers during the intertribals and they were awarded gift baskets. Ontaria also had a giveaway for the children, they received Easter baskets, stuffed animals, Easter eggs, candy, and other items.
Other drum groups were Sage Point and River Camp. The drum groups sang songs for the tiny tots, junior boys and girls, teen boys and girls, adult men and women, and golden age women. There was a feast after the first session of the powwow, Hernandez shared they ordered enough food for 200 people, but they ran out.
ISU Social Powwow Head Dancers Ontaria Arrow White (left) and Wrendon Osborne.
During the powwow NASC President Gabrielle St. Clair said “This powwow has been a tradition but has not been around since pre-Covid. We are so excited for you guys to be joining us tonight and for it to become a tradition once again. I want to thank our lovely coordination Effie Hernandez for helping us out. I also want to thank our Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer from the NASC. This is great and I am so glad.”
NASS Coordinator Effie Hernandez spoke after she thanked everyone who helped make the event possible and thanked them for helping bring the tradition back. The powwow ended with a prayer and retiring of the colors.
The ISU Powwow hasn’t taken place since before COVID-19 happened so “it was important for the students to take the time and opportunity to move forward to bring tradition back to ISU.” She shared how proud she was of the students who helped make the event possible, “There were so many community members and members from our tribe that came to support and bring back tradition to ISU.”
Effie said in the past, the ISU Powwow has always been a two-day contest powwow but this year the students agreed to do a one-day social powwow to soft launch to get back into the groove of things. The students were the ones who made decisions and put this event on, Hernandez said “everyone came together to put on this amazing event and they worked well together. I am really proud of them. They were the decision makers while she took care of things on the back end.” There were many students who helped take part in making the event happen, so many to name. She highlighted the NASC officers President Gabrielle St. Clair, Vice-President Rachel Havok, Secretary Nature Ariwite, and Treasurer Michaelynn Christy, who were a big help.
The students fundraised throughout the year, but Hernandez shares a lot of the fundraising was done by previous Native Club students. One example she shared was from two ISU students saying “I need to give credit where it is due, December and Ontaria Arrow-White were really helpful with the club and its members. They really took it upon themselves to help guide what needed to be done and the students really valued that.”
It was important to Hernandez to bring the ISU Powwow back because “It’s tradition, we’ve always had a powwow here to engage and bring our culture to share with everybody. It is a part of us that we are truly proud of. For me personally, powwows are a way of us coming together to celebrate our culture, it doesn’t matter what tribe you are from it is all of us coming together as native people. Time for celebration, healing, and celebrating each other who we are and where we come from and taking that moment for our families.” She spoke about feeling her grandmother there with her, “My grandmother Joyce Ballard used to work here at ISU and was really involved at the time. When we were doing the celebration and having everyone bring this powwow back to ISU, I felt her there. It was heartwarming because I feel like I’m helping her with the work that she was trying to start here, it felt like everything was coming full circle that I can help contribute to that. It makes me proud to be her granddaughter but also makes me proud that this is the job that I am doing. I really hope that I can build a good solid foundation to help students.”
Teen girls jingle dancer Taya Dixey.
“I want to take this time to acknowledge the students and their hard work, especially during this time when things are challenging. I want our community, our students, faculty and staff to know that the Native Center is a brave space for you to be yourself. This space is open for anybody who needs it. I want to give a shout out to everyone here on campus who helps our students. I want to acknowledge the hard work and dedication and those who were helpful to our students before I came along.” Hernandez about her love of education and although she has 9 years of experience in higher education, she says she is still new to her position. Hernandez said, “I am still new to my position, I ask that the community be patient with me as I am learning and moving forward.”
An email from The Native American Student Services (NASS) said “On behalf of NASS, we would like to extend our sincerest thanks to everyone who participated in the celebration of bringing the ISU Powwow back to our community. The event was a success, and we have received wonderful feedback from both community members and ISU students. We’d like to take a moment to express our gratitude to a few individuals whose contributions made this event possible. First, a special thank you to our Headwoman Ontaria Arrow White and Headman Wrendon Osborne. Your leadership during your specials was outstanding, and we would also like to extend our thanks to your families, whose support was instrumental in ensuring the success of your roles and the event as a whole. Next, we are deeply grateful to Matt Wilson and Stephan Kniffin for serving as our MC and AD for the Powwow. Your coordination, humor, and support were truly appreciated as you worked alongside our team to make the event run smoothly. We would also like to acknowledge the Fort Hall Veterans and Tribal Royalty for your service and presence. Your participation is always valued, and we are honored by your support.
Teen boys traditional dancer Burlee Broncho.
A big thank you goes to the ISU community members who supported the Native American Student Council and its efforts to revive this important tradition. Your enthusiasm and encouragement were crucial in making this event a reality. We are also thankful to Dr. Laticia Herkshan and her family for sponsoring the Tiny Tots, ensuring that our youngest participants had a memorable and joyful experience. We’d like to express our gratitude to Matt Daily and Marty Blair for being the ISU speakers at the event. Your words and involvement were greatly appreciated by all in attendance. Thank you to Chartwells Catering, George Casper, Lisa Woodland, ASISU, and the Student Leadership and Engagement Center. Your team helped NASC facilitate a successful event, this couldn’t have been done without your help. We would also like to acknowledge the Native American Student Council and the rest of the club members who made this event possible. With your planning efforts and collaboration, your event was successful! You all should feel very proud. Finally, we want to thank the students, their families, and everyone who shared kind words and support throughout the event. We hope you feel a deep sense of pride in being a Bengal, and we look forward to the continuation of this tradition in next year’s Powwow.”
