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June 28, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels April 12, 2004 Powwow a dance of unity By Steve Zimmerman Ashland Daily Tidings Colorful clothing and headdresses adorned the McNeal Pavilion as Southern Oregon University's Native American Student Union presented its 12th annual Spring Powwow Saturday and Sunday. Aurelia Johnson, 4, of Burns, prepares to dance with the help of her mother Julie Johnson Sunday during the 12th annual Spring Powwow at Southern Oregon University's McNeal Pavilion. Satsuki Doi | Ashland Daily Tidings Events kicked off each day with the Grand Entry, which displays the flags, eagle staff, head dancers, visiting royalty and other dancers, who formed a large circle on the pavilion floor. Over 100 native dancers from as far away as Canada made the trek for the event. Chava Florendo, one of the student coordinators of the event said she has put six months worth of work into this event. "The powwow is just one of the events we do each year," she said. "We are the most active club on campus. It makes a big difference in our education and our support system. It gives us somewhere to practice our culture and makes it so we can function as students while keeping our culture intact." The event drew 30 vendors from the western U.S. The powwow also featured a friendly dance competition, which awarded the same prizes to those finishing in first through third place. And, for the first time, the Hawaiian Club was invited to attend the event and dance. "It is a way for us to show our culture," Florendo explained. "Our club is set up to educate the public and act as a support group for native students. Our biggest goal is to bring as many outside non-native people in so that they can get an idea what Native American culture is about." A report issued earlier in the week put the dropout rate among Native American students in high school at over 40 percent. Florendo said she hopes this event, and others like it, will inspire young Native American students to stay in school. "That is the whole purpose of our club," she said. "It is a form of retention, support and community building. We are lucky enough to have two advisors, Brett Florendo and David West who support us, help with academic troubles and even help us if we are having trouble finding housing. Their efforts have created a retention rate close to 75-80 percent at SOU for Native students which is above and beyond anywhere else." Nez Smiley, who is 18, drove with her mother from Davis, Calif. to dance in the powwow. "I am Navajo and I dance up and down California and Oregon," she said. "I do this for myself because I think I am very lucky to be a part of such a rich heritage and culture. I think it is important to keep that alive for generations to come." That is the goal of SOU student Eirik Thorsgard, who is 27, said he is reviving the art of Native American dance that has been missing in his family for generations. "My grandfather went away to boarding school and my family quit dancing for about 80 years," he noted. "I started dancing about four years ago and am the first one in my family to start again." And Thorsgard hopes events like the powwow can be used to dispel some of the misunderstanding of the Native American culture. "I think a lot of that comes from the lack of information being provided the education system," he said. "I don't think it stems from biases or anything. I just don't think we have gotten up to speed yet." DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams