{"id":2636,"date":"2025-07-30T15:42:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T15:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/?p=2636"},"modified":"2026-02-18T21:56:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T21:56:56","slug":"eastern-oregon-universitys-50th-annual-powwow-marks-triumphant-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/eastern-oregon-universitys-50th-annual-powwow-marks-triumphant-return\/","title":{"rendered":"À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ\u2019s 50th Annual Powwow Marks Triumphant Return"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 50th Annual Spring Powwow returned to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ in a big way. (Michael K. Dakota\/EOU Photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

After a six-year pause, the resounding, powerful echo of drums was once again heard across campus. On May 16 and 17, the 50th Annual Spring Powwow returned to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, filling the Fieldhouse with color, music, and dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, the special celebration was more than a milestone; it was a homecoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many students, alumni, and friends, the Powwow has always been a place to reconnect, honor traditions, and carry stories forward. This year, it was also a return to something sacred that had been missing since 2019. The Powwow welcomed dancers, families, alumni, and community members from throughout the Northwest to celebrate heritage and healing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are so few of us here, so it feels good. It helps to heal my spirit with dance,\u201d said EOU senior Sara Dowty, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla, who graduated in 2025. \u201cWhen I\u2019m dancing, I\u2019m sending up prayers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sara\u2019s words were a reminder that this wasn\u2019t just a performance, it was ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Returning to Roots<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Powwow was originally launched in the early 1970s by the Speel-Ya Club as part of EOU\u2019s Native American Arts Festival. Kathy Burke \u201916, a proud EOU alumna and current Alumni Association board member, remembers those early gatherings vividly. Her father, Peter Quaempts, a Native American educator and artist, helped bring the original event to life.<\/p>\n\n\n

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For many students, alumni, and friends, the Powwow has always been a place to reconnect, honor traditions, and carry stories forward. In 2025, it was also a return to something sacred that had been missing since 2019.(Michael K. Dakota\/EOU Photograph)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cWe used to have the arts festival all over the lawn,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI still have the original program my dad created, with his artwork on the cover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Burke, attending this year\u2019s Powwow was personal. She sponsored an alumni special and donated blankets and jewelry in honor of her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s meaningful,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd hard, too. So many of our people are gone. But we still dance for those who cannot, and we carry on our traditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meaning of the Powwow, she said, lives in the details, the regalia worn by dancers, each piece tells a story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about practicing our culture\u2014our regalia, our feathers, everything we wear has meaning,\u201d Burke said. \u201cMy dad used to say it takes a lifetime to make your outfit. You add to it as you move through different stages of life or as you earn something. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so meaningful. Much of our regalia is very old\u2014passed down through generations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fred Hill, master of ceremonies and a respected elder, reflected on the broader legacy of the Powwow and the importance of maintaining Native visibility on campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a long-standing tradition, 50 years says a lot about the strength of the organization,\u201d Hill said. \u201cThe important thing is that it has created a space for Native students to have a presence here. The Powwow isn\u2019t just a celebration; it\u2019s about promoting higher education and encouraging our young people to continue their academic journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Hill spoke to the deep emotional and spiritual resonance of the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur spirits long for drumming and singing,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a spiritual aspect to it, the songs we share, we don\u2019t get to hear every day. They\u2019re offered prayerfully. That\u2019s the healing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes our students can\u2019t get home to attend longhouse services,\u201d he continued. \u201cBut hearing these songs brings inner strength. It reminds them of who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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After a six-year pause, the 50th Annual Spring Powwow returned to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ (Michael K. Dakota)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Carrying the Vision Forward<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s event is the result of months of student-led planning, coordination, and fundraising. Under the guidance of Pepper Huxoll \u201901, Native American, Indigenous & Rural Programs coordinator, students traveled to Pendleton to learn from experienced organizers and ensure the Powwow\u2019s traditions were honored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a rebuilding process,\u201d Huxoll said. \u201cWe hadn\u2019t had a Native American program coordinator for five years before I came on. But these students, especially Speel-Ya, have stepped up. This Powwow is their achievement.\u201d Huxoll herself is an EOU alumna and was a member of Speel-ya as a former student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event featured grand entries, traditional regalia, and songs in celebration of graduates, elders, and veterans. The Fieldhouse transformed into a sacred space filled with social connection and joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many, the location itself added to the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a nice space to have it in,\u201d Burke said. \u201cI\u2019m just happy to be here, to be a part of it again. It\u2019s beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More Than a Milestone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Sara Dowty said, \u201cIt puts us on the map.\u201d For many, it also brought healing and a renewed sense that EOU is a place where these traditions can continue to grow. The 50th Annual Spring Powwow is more than a number on a calendar. It\u2019s a symbol of resilience, a celebration of a culture that continues to thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For EOU, it reaffirms a commitment to Indigenous students and communities that stretches back generations and will continue into the future<\/p>\n\n\n

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Virgilena Walsey-Begay of Washington participated in the 50th Anniversary Powwow at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. (Michael K. Dakota) (Michael K. Dakota)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After a six-year pause, the resounding, powerful echo of drums was once again heard across campus. On May 16 and 17, the 50th Annual Spring Powwow returned to À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, filling the Fieldhouse with color, music, and dance. This year, the special celebration was more than a milestone; it was a homecoming. For many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":491,"featured_media":2652,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[45],"class_list":["post-2636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-summer-2025","tag-student"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/491"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2636"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2662,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2636\/revisions\/2662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2636"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/mountaineer-magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}