This content was published: January 2, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC hosts eighth winter powwow
Photos and story by James Hill
PORTLAND, Ore. – It’s an event growing in scope and scale every year that celebrates Native American culture and ancestry – Portland Community College’s Eighth Annual Winter Powwow “Wacipi.”
The powwow, which attracts nearly 1,000 attendees every year, will run from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20 in the gymnasium on the Sylvania Campus, 12000 S.W. 49th Ave. The powwow features the first grand entry at 1 p.m., a community dinner at 5:30 p.m. and a second grand entry at 7 p.m. Main attractions include Master of Ceremony David West (Potawatomi Nation, Miami, and Kickapoo); Color Guard from the Northwest Indian Veterans Association; Native American dancing, drumming, merchandise vendors, fry bread and food booths. Admission and parking are free.
“I love the overall energy of a powwow,” said student organizer Nate Salazar. “I enjoy watching the dancers and how all of the roles of people inside a community come together. The powwow brings it to a level that everyone can relate to.”
Salazar’s ancestry comes from the Jicarilla Apache and Yaqui nations and he has fought hard to overcome many adversities. It’s why he is proud to help put on this year’s powwow. Read his story here.
There will be a College Fair, representing local colleges and universities, from noon to 5 p.m. in the lobby of the HT Building. American Sign Language and Plains Indian Sign Language interpreters will be available during the event. For more information on this year’s powwow, please contact the Sylvania Multicultural Center at 503-977-4112.
Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary institution in Oregon, serving approximately 88,200 full- and part-time students. For more PCC news, please visit us on the Web at www.pcc.edu/news. PCC has three comprehensive campuses, five workforce training and education centers, and 200 community locations in the Portland metropolitan area. The PCC district encompasses a 1,500-square-mile area in northwest Oregon and offers two-year degrees, one-year certificate programs, short-term training, alternative education, pre-college courses and life-long learning.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »