On Saturday, the sounds of laughter, song and drums echoed out from the Recreational Sports Facility as some 175 Native Americans from across UC Berkeley and beyond gathered in a day of celebration at the campus’s 39th annual powwow.
Hosted by the Indigenous and Native Coalition’s (INC) Retention and Recruitment Center, the powwow featured traditional dancing and drum circles, native foods, shopping and a scavenger hunt for the youngsters. The powwow increases the visibility of Native Americans and indigenous people at Berkeley, and for some participants, like freshman Lou Montelongo, it is a bridge back to the community she grew up in.f
“Powwows are way to bring communities together,” said Montelongo, who grew up on the Eastern Cherokee Reservation in North Carolina and now serves as the co-coordinator of social retention for INC. “It’s cool to come here and see that powwows in California are like the ones in Carolina. There are dances and values on display here that I remember from back home.”
“I love the native community here,” added Montelongo. “They’re so supportive. I feel like I have family here.”