A powwow is a Native American cultural celebration. Community powwows are important social and cultural events, weaving together the lives of native people across an urban fabric. Redbird's powwow is an intertribal gathering which prides itself in creating a friendly and supportive atmosphere for both participants and visitors.

Powwows are true cultural gatherings, not performances. Redbird's powwow offers a number of opportunities for multicultural immersion without compromising the integrity of the gathering. A powwow includes singing, dancing, drumming, traditional music, arts, crafts and food. Throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday there will be intertribal dances. During these sets of songs, guests are welcome in the dance arena. It is an opportunity to experience the circle, the energy within it, the drums from a personal perspective. There are some dress and conduct guidelines and you probably are familiar with them - revealing clothing is not appropriate for men or women, touching dancers' hair, feathers or regalia is not okay, and children should not be allowed to run through the arena.

The powwow drum is powerful. It is at once a musical instrument, an entity with its own spirit and protocol for how it should be addressed. It is also an instrument of healing and profound transformation. You feel the drum as much as you hear it. There is a resonance within your chest. The drum can have an immediate, transformative impact on those who are within its reach.

Songs are never written down. Singers may know hundreds of songs by the first several beats of the drum, or by a name. Those songs may be passed down over many generations, or they may be created by the singers. Native American culture is a living, evolving culture, rooted in the wisdom of the ancestors and facing forward, adapting to and incorporating our world today. It is this ability to bring culture forward into the present that keeps the younger generations engaged and alive in who they are, that creates the next tribal leaders, and the next generation of warriors for environmental justice and human rights.

On Sunday morning around 11:30 AM there will be a Veterans' honoring. All Veterans regardless of ethnicity or branch of service are welcome and encouraged to participate. 

We offer the powwow as an event that we hope bridges ethnic and socio-economic boundaries in a healthy way, without compromising its integrity as an indigenous cultural gathering.