Countywide : Orange Coast College to Hold Powwow

When she dons her broadcloth fancy shawl and dances to the rapid pounding of the drums, Liz Whipple wants people to learn about her American Indian history.

Her beaded hairpieces and moccasins reveal her distinct style.

Her fancy shawl with its intricate pattern indicates the influences of her tribe.

And the dance is a way for her to share a part of her Navajo and Sioux heritage with others.

“Unfortunately, performing is the only thing that attracts non-Indian people to get to know us,” Whipple said.

“The dancing is what they’re aware of, that’s all people see. But if dances are a way to portray that, that’s what we have to do and that’s what I do.”

Like many American Indians, the 25-year-old gathers at dozens of powwows throughout the year to celebrate, socialize and especially to dance.

About 10,000 people are expected to attend a powwow at Orange Coast College’s Lebard Stadium this weekend. The third annual Pow Wow is sponsored by the college’s Native American Student Organization.

Activities will start at 10 a.m. A parade will begin at 1 p.m.

“The powwow is a good chance to renew old friendships and to make new friends. It’s almost like a reunion,” said Mike Lopez, one of the Orange Coast College powwow organizers.

“It promotes understanding between the cultures and breaks a lot of negative stereotypes. It’s a good way for people to come out and see what the native people and the native culture is all about.”

Drumming, singing and dancing are central to these celebrations.

Hundreds of years old, a powwow was traditionally a way to bring together two tribes with different customs.

It has evolved into a gathering of several tribes and non-Indians, and is now often held in the spring at colleges and universities.

There are 11,834 American Indians in Orange County and 43,899 in Los Angeles County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

But Mary Cleghorn-Vann of the American Indian Center said the actual numbers are greater by 15% to 20%.

The Orange Coast College powwow will feature food and craft booths and continuous dancing.

The dance styles range from the women’s fancy shawl and jingle dress to the men’s fancy war and gourd dances.

The dance arena at a powwow is considered sacred ground during the powwow and is treated with reverence and respect by its users.

And the drum is considered the center of the universe, the thing to which everything is connected, said Starr-Robideau, assistant executive director of the Southern California American Indian Center in Garden Grove.

Dancers rely on the drumbeats for cues to begin or end many dances.

Social and contemporary dances such as the fancy shawl, the jingle dress and the fancy war dance are most popular at powwows.

But there are hundreds of dances, each distinctly sacred and meaningful to the tribes that perform them, Whipple said.

“Most of my friends go out and party, but my time is spent at powwows,” said Whipple, a dance major at UC Irvine. “It’s a time of dancing and socializing . . . just getting together with the rest of my community.”

“I want to make sure people are aware that I’m here, make more people remember that there are American Indians. I dance for my people and my family,” she said.