Lake View Terrace : Native Americans Celebrate Culture

For most of the 10,000 or so visitors to the first-ever Los Angeles Intertribal Pow-Wow, the three-day Hansen Dam Equestrian Center event was a chance to sample a culture most knew little of.

For many of the Native Americans, from 40 different tribes across the country, it meant more.

“To me it’s the closest thing to being home,” said Sonny Skyhawk, founder of American Indians in Film, a Pasadena group that fights for a better image in movies for Native Americans.

During the Great Entry dance Sunday, when all the tribes showed off their traditional dress, Oceanside resident Apensanahwhat of the Menominee tribe forgot about the daily grind and focused on the beat of the drum and the spiritual meaning of the gathering.

“It’s rejuvenating,” said Apensanahwhat, whose name means “When the clouds are dark, they are full of thunder.” An actor who has had roles on television shows including “Northern Exposure” and “Gunsmoke,” Apensanahwhat wore tribal dress bearing colors and markings of the American flag and also warrior’s feathers.

Each feather represented a campaign in the Vietnam War in which Apensanahwhat fought as a U.S. Marine.

During the Great Entry dance, members of each tribe entered the main arena to the sound of drums, followed by a Native American prayer for everyone present.

About 70 vendors selling a wide range of Native American artifacts were on hand; some sold Thai and Chinese food.

“It’s a miniature melting pot here,” said event promoter Dick Wixon, who is not Native American but described himself as a student of the history of the American West. The powwow serves as affirmation that Native Americans--who total about 300,000 in Los Angeles and Orange counties--are thriving, Wixon said.

“This is a culture that has endured 500 years of destruction and is still alive today,” Wixon said.