Celebrating Native American Traditions

Nearly 500 Native American dancers from the United States and Canada are converging on the Cabazon Indian Reservation near Indio this weekend. The occasion is the sixth annual Keh-Wit Taspa Indio Powwow, one of the largest cultural celebrations in the Southwest. “It’s like a big family reunion for many,” says Judy Stapp, one of the organizers of the event. It’s also a way to pass on traditions. “A lot of children participate, and that’s really what this is all about,” she adds. “You see a lot of parents holding their babies as they dance--they’re dancing before they learn to walk.”

Tribes each have their own dances, Stapp explains, and different dances within their own band. They dress in colorful, handmade regalia, demonstrating the spiritual and emotional aspects of Native American lives through movement. Among the tribes joining the host, Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, are the Navajo, Apache, Cherokee, Pawnee, Sioux and Oneida.

Also: Nearly 100 vendors will sell food (such as Indian fry bread) and art and crafts.

Hours are Friday, 5 p.m.-midnight; Saturday, 11 a.m.-midnight; Sunday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. at Cabazon Indian Reservation, adjacent to Fantasy Springs Casino (exit I-10 at Auto Center Drive and Highway 111, near Indio). $2; ages 6-17, $1; 5 and younger, free. (800) 827-2946.

On Saturday only in Fullerton, the Inter-Tribal Student Council Powwow is an all-day affair, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Music, arts and crafts, traditional dance and food are included. Performing arts lawn, Cal State Fullerton. Free. (714) 773-3603.