September 17, 2022 - Saturday - It's been six years since we had last attended a Native American Pow Wow, so we decided to see another one today. This one is sponsored by the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians and it's held on the campus of Cal State University in San Bernardino. Generally, a modern Pow Wow is a specific type of event for Native American people to meet and dance, sing, socialize, and honor their cultures. This Pow Wow is a three day event full of music and dance that is both a celebration and competition with participants vying for prizes while honoring enduring Native American traditions.
The day started with bird singers and dancers.
This shows the size of the field where the "Grand Entry" takes place later in the day.
Everyone gets in line for the Grand Entry.
One man leads the procession in, following the honor guard.
Hundreds of Native Americans form a clockwise spiral around the field moving towards the center as more people enter the spiral.
The drums that have been beaten since the beginning start to increase their tempo.
The men are first in the procession, the women next, and finally the children.
The Grand Entry took over an hour for everyone to enter the field. I estimated that there were at least 1,500 participating. In a word, it was a spectacle.
Before the Pow Wow we drove to Highland for some "Double-Doubles" at In-N-Out.
It was a very memorable day.