SPOKANE, Wash. — Drums echoed and dancers swirled through the Spokane Convention Center for the Second Annual Northwest Powwow, bringing hundreds of tribes together to celebrate Native American culture.
The event brought approximately 300 Native American tribes from across the country to downtown Spokane.
“For a lot of Native American people, powwow is a continued revival,” said Dave Browneagle, a member of both the Spokane and Ho-Chunk tribes.
The rhythmic drumming at the event is known as “the heartbeat” of the powwow and the people. Powwows happen somewhere in the United States every summer weekend.
For Browneagle, who has been dancing in powwows since he could walk, these gatherings are an opportunity for all ages to come together.
“I’ve never stopped… my children, my grandchildren and hopefully my great-grandchildren,” Browneagle said.
The downtown location holds special meaning for many Tribal members. Throughout history, Tribal people were pushed outside of city centers.
“We haven’t always been welcomed in the city of Spokane,” said Margo Hill-Ferguson, who is part of the Colville and Spokane tribes.
For Hill-Ferguson, who helped organize the event, the powwow is an emotional day.
“Powwows are special because it is a connection with our ancestors,” she said. “These are our homelands, these are where our ancestors lived.”
This connection happens through songs passed down for generations. The outfits worn by dancers are often worked on for years, with beads that can be over a hundred years old.
Browneagle, who is in his 70th year of participating in powwows, sees these events as a family gathering, honoring the past while creating the future.
“The song leads to a song leads to a song, it is a connection, it is a birth, it is a continuation,” Browneagle said. “It gives today and what we do today ensures us tomorrow.”
The Northwest Powwow continues Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. at the Spokane Conservation Center.
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