Pow Wow is a community gathering and celebration of culture through ceremony, song, dance, feasting and socializing. Traditional Pow Wows include invited Elders, Veterans and other honored guests to perform and participate in the celebration.  At a Pow Wow, you can expect a series of activities including dancers, drummers, singers, vendors, and food.  All while maintaining a central core in a traditional ceremony. 

Indigi-Fest

March 30 & 31, 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM

Grand River Room, Allendale Campus

*SAME PRESENTATION BOTH DAYS

• BLACK ASH PRESENTATION: 9:30 AM
• FOOD SOVEREIGNTY: 11:30 AM
• POWWOW ETIQUETTE & EXPLANATION WITH DANCERS: 3:00 PM

2022 Expo Experience celebrating Anishinabek heritage. There will be:

• Anishinabek speakers
• Free food samples
• Student-led tables
• Trivia 
• Vendors
• Free swag (t-shirts, mugs and more!)

Dear GVSU campus and the larger community,

We are writing to update you on the Grand Valley State University spring 2022 powwow. 

In an effort to center the health and safety of our communities, we have made the decision to cancel the powwow for this year out of an abundance of caution.  While vaccination rates in the GVSU community are high, the current variations, such as the Delta and Omicron, continues to spread throughout Michigan and at GVSU, and it is hard to predict what the situation will be in the spring.  The 2022 Pow Wow, which brings together Native Americans from throughout the state in an indoor location, has the distinct potential of being a gathering where COVID could spread widely, putting our most vulnerable at serious risk.

In response to this change, the GVSU Divisions of Inclusion & Equity and Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach, the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), the Native American Advisory Council, and the Native American Student Association (NASA) are committed to re-allocating the funding that was designated for the powwow to host a variety of events that both celebrate and educate Native/Indigenous culture and tradition.  These events will be organized in a way that allows us to better control safety protocols.  As they are planned, they will be publicized and posted on the OMA website, www.gvsu.edu/oma.

We would like to thank our powwow planning committee, which includes many members of the community, for their hard work and dedication.  We look forward to continuing to come together, though differently, this spring.

Sincerely,

Jacob Klanke, President, GVSU Native American Student Association

Simone Jonaitis Co-President, GVSU Native American Advisory Council

Levi Rickert, Co-President, GVSU Native American Advisory Council

Lin Bardwell, Program Coordinator, GVSU Office of Multicultural Affairs

Donta Truss, Vice President of Enrollment Development and Educational Outreach

Jesse Bernal, Vice President of Inclusion and Equity