UTA’s 30th powwow honors legacy, celebrates community
The Native American Student Association at The University of Texas at Arlington will host its 30th annual Benefit Powwow on Saturday, April 4, bringing together dancers, singers, vendors and community members from across the country for a day of cultural celebration, competition and education.
The Powwow will take place in the Maverick Activities Center. Doors open at 10 a.m. and the event is free and open to the public.
This year’s event honors the late Les Riding-In, a longtime advisor of the Native American Student Association, known as NASA, and advocate for Native students at UTA.
His leadership at UTA played a major role in the lives of Native students, and he also helped grow and expand the Powwow to the scale it is today.
Stephen Silva-Brave, president of NASA and a doctoral social work student, said Dr. Riding-In’s connection to Native students at UTA, the Native community in DFW and across the country, and non-Native faculty and staff at UTA helped build a bridge to grow the Powwow in stature.
“Losing Dr. Riding-In has left a huge hole for us,” said Silva-Brave. “Hosting and planning the Powwow this year just feels different without him. Hopefully we can do him some justice and honor him.”
The event will include a special prayer in Osage honoring Riding-In’s Native roots, and his parents will sponsor a special dance during the Powwow.
There will also be nine dance competition categories, along with special dances and a traditional Gourd Dance that opens the day. Other dance categories include men’s fancy and grass dance, women’s fancy and jingle, among many others.
Thirty vendors will display handmade crafts, art, jewelry, clothing and food representing many different tribal nations. Local Native community organizations will be on site to share how to get involved and support the community.
“It’s a beautiful community gathering for everyone, even non-Native people,” said Silva-Brave. “You can have a good time and also learn a lot about Indigenous culture and history.”
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 280,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.