Grass dancers chanted their way through McArthur Court, dressed from head to toe in vibrant colors of magenta, pink and blue; feathers lined their dresses, and bells jingled around their ankles as they danced. This is a reminder of our country’s history.

“We are here, we are Indigenous and we’re going to celebrate our cultures,” Yudith Araiza-Flores, one of the co-directors of the Native American Student Union and an Indigenous student from Michoacán, Mexico, said.

It’s been 57 years since the first University of Oregon Powwow was hosted by NASU. It is the longest-running, student-led Powwow in Oregon.

The event started May 9 at 7 p.m. and concluded the following night at 11 p.m. Each day began with a grand entry of grass dancers to bless the grounds and a flag song followed by traditional dances such as the jingle dance and the fancy dance while the drum group Bad Soul hollered and banged their drums with pride.

Since 2019, NASU has created the UO Indigenous Royalty Cohort, which has three positions for students to run as Ms. UO, Mr. UO and the culture ambassador position which was added later on for more inclusivity. During each annual Powwow, the new cohort for the following school year is introduced Saturday night with a proper farewell to the old cohort.

These positions give students an opportunity to represent the Indigenous population at UO by attending conferences, events and other powwows throughout Oregon and gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be Indigenous.

“Being Indigenous is being close to people that don’t necessarily share the same language or customs, but they share the same values and respect of the land, the water and all the creatures,” Araiza-Flores said.

Powwow has withstood generations, with the first one that took place in Oklahoma in 1879; it consisted of multiple tribes from Canada down to Texas, celebrating the differences, traditions and customs of tribes whose culture and pride were gradually being diminished. Powwow invites people of all nations to honor the preservation of Indigenous people with traditional dances, songs and overall “good medicine.”

“Powwow traveled through Central and now Western Oregon through boarding schools. When Indigenous people were taken to another part of the country, they still took their cultures and traditions, and then they would share with other Indigenous people from different communities,” Araiza-Flores said. “Now, Powwow is a way of reclaiming that culture and those identities that were intended to be erased through boarding schools.”

This year’s Powwow brought in tribes from all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including the Confederated Tribe of Grand Ronde, Siletz tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation and Yakama Nation, according to Dinorah Ortiz, the program director of the Multicultural Center, said.

Every Powwow has a different intention. “For instance, at UO, we do the Mother’s Day Powwow, and so our Powwow is meant to celebrate mothers, those matriarchs in our community,” Araiza-Flores said. Every year, NASU hosts its powwow on Mother’s Day weekend, one out of the 20 Powwows hosted every year in the state.

“For me, as someone who is Indigenous to Mexico, Powwow is a way of honoring all of those that came before us and that made powwow something that we were able to be a part of and celebrate every year together,” Araiza-Flores said.

To end the weekend, NASU and Many Nations Longhouse hosted a salmon bake on Mother’s Day, a common tradition held by natives in the Pacific Northwest according to, an article written by Katrine Barber from the Oregon History Project. Tribes ranging from the Columbia Plateau to the coast considered salmon to be a “much more than simply food or economic resource”. Hence, the First Salmon Ceremony came into practice every spring to welcome in the new season and mark the return of salmon.

The Wishram Indians who are a part of the Chinookan people, believed “Salmon sacrificed their lives to human beings to ensure the survival of human communities. In return, humans were obligated to care for and honor salmon and adhere to various regulations that governed the fishery,” according to Barber.

Powwow is an acknowledgment of the land and recognition of Indigenous people. On campus, we acknowledge Kalapuya people because this is historically, Kalapuya land. “When people say this is Kalapuya land, people are saying ‘this is an acknowledgement of that forced relocation and displacement that happened with the government,’” Araiza-Flores said. “People are here as guests and people are only here because of the American government.”

With 20 powwows held year-round in Oregon, ranging from Portland to Ashland, the history and culture of Indigenous communities is far from forgotten. The land we walk on is shared with Indigenous communities who have been here long before America was truly established and in that, powwow recognizes communities that have been ripped from their origins yet remain intact.

“We are Indigenous. We are here. This is our culture, and we’re going to celebrate our cultures,” Araiza-Flores said.