Pow Wow at MTSU: Friday-Sunday

Feb 24, 2017 at 06:51 pm by bryan


For the first time in almost a decade, MTSU is hosting a three-day powwow as a tribute to Native Americans. The event is underway now through Sunday at the Tennessee Livestock Center, 1720 Greenland Drive.

Friday Activities

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Arts and crafts, dancing, music, storytelling and vendors selling authentic handmade Native American items will be part of the celebration, which will begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, with a fry bread cook-off.

At 5 p.m., representatives of various tribes will participate in a forum about issues facing Native Americans today.

"We're talking about the successes native people have had in their communities and the struggles they face as they look for a successful route to addressing them," said Melissa Shelby, the event's primary organizer and a graduate student majoring in biochemistry.

Social dances and a hand drum competition will round out Friday's activities at the livestock center. Renowned blues artist Butch Mudbone of the Seneca tribe will perform at an after-hours event at 9 p.m. Friday at Jazzmatazz, 1824 Old Fort Parkway.

Saturday Activities

The agenda for Saturday, Feb. 25, will start at 9 a.m. as vendors offer their silverwork, drums, flutes, hides, beadwork, woodcarvings, pottery and basketry for sale.

Niles Aseret, a Navajo born and reared on an Arizona reservation, will speak at 11:15 a.m. Saturday on his campaign for a National Native Code Talker Day to pay tribute to the individuals who used their knowledge of Native American languages to transmit messages for the Allied forces during World War II.

Throughout the powwow, various dancers will display their talents in competitions. On display will be social dances and special dances including the Hoop Dance, the Chicken Dance and a special dance honoring those who walked the infamous Trail of Tears, the forcible removal of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands between 1830 and 1850.

"I watched many of these youth who were dancing at 6 years and 12 years, and now these people are bringing their 2-year-olds and their 6-year-olds to this powwow," said Shelby.

Story of Code Talkers

The Native American Student Association of Middle Tennessee State University will be hosting the Indigenous Peoples' Powwow at the Middle Tennessee State University Tennessee Livestock Center.

During the event, Niles Aseret, a Navajo, will talk about the importance of the Code Talkers during World War II. He will also address the need for proper recognition of the Code Talkers.

He came by WGNS and shared some of his story about the code talkers over the radio.

(Time: 5-minutes, 40-seconds)

Schedule

THIS FRIDAY 4 P.M. - 8 P.M. / SATURDAY 9 A.M. - 8 P.M. / SUNDAY 9 A.M. - 4 P.M.

  • Experience social dances and special dances like the Hoop Dance, Chicken Dance, and a Trail of Tears sponsored dance, honoring those that walked.

  • Ron Colombe, Lakota Author, and Dennis Clause bring the oral tradition of Storytelling and Jamie Oxendine will share true stories of the Eastern Woodland period.

  • Native American Music Award Nominee, Ryan Molina and Jaime Chavez, from the Incan Villages of Ecuador, delight our hearts and visions with the music of their people.

  • Niles Aseret, Navajo; CODE TALKERS: NEED FOR NATIONAL RECOGNITION DAY
  • Impact and Importance of Native Languages to WWII Military Strategy
  • UNESCO recognized craft vendors with works in the Smithsonian offer their wares.

  • Come make pottery and learn the traditional ways of pit firing with Mary T Newman.

  • Join championship dancers traveling from the Canadian Tundra of the Cree Nation to the Aztec Dancers of South America.

  • Award winning Native American songwriter and Flutist, Gareth Laffely coming.

Admission Fees

General admission for Friday's activities is $4. Admission to Butch Mudbone's performance at Jazzmatazz is $8. Admission for Saturday and Sunday is $7 general admission, $5 for MTSU students and employees and seniors. Active-duty and retired military personnel, emergency medical technicians, firefighters and police officers, as well as children under 6 years of age, will be admitted free of charge.

The Pow Wow is sponsored by the Native American Student Association. A printable campus parking map is available at http://tinyurl.com/MTSUParkingMap.

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