CMU hosts 26th annual Celebrating Life Pow wow


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Suttons Bay resident James Day, 5, dances during the 26th Annual Celebrating Life Pow Wow on March 21 in McGuirk Arena.

Jiingtamok is the Ojibwe word for Pow wow. Those gatherings have been held for centuries and are significant to Native American tribes as times for celebration.

Central Michigan University's Pow wow committee is tasked with building the Celebrating Life Pow Wow. The student-run committee works year-round on the event so community can enjoy themselves and learn more about Native American Culture.

"The Pow wow is about (putting) aside the modern things we've been doing and coming back together to enjoy our culture for a weekend, see people we haven't seen since the year before," said Alma senior David Syckle II. 

Central Michigan University's 26th annual Celebrating Life Pow Wow is being held March 21- 22 in McGurik Arena of the Events Center. 

Goals were assigned and delegated by the Pow wow committee each meeting, and included picking  dance specials, acquiring volunteers, securing vendors and raising funds.

"The Pow wow committee is comprised of student volunteers; myself and my secretary are their advisers," said Colleen Green, director of Native American Programs. 

"When we moved into January we made sure we contacted all the dignitaries, and they made contact to all of the senior officers at the University to request funding," Green said. "A lot of January was (spent) getting advertisements for the powwow program to hand out to everyone coming through the door."

The Pow wow will open with "grand entry," where all of the dancers gather in the arena to be acknowledged and give acknowledgment to each other and their ancestors. Committee President Kelsey McCullough said she enjoys watching the dancers. 

"The best part of putting on a Pow wow is seeing the outcome," said the Wilson alumna. "My favorite part is during grand entry, when we see there are well over a 150 dancers, eight drums and tons of spectators."

Vendors sell traditional food and crafts while spectators enjoy the immersion of culture. CMU's Pow wow draws members of different Native American tribes--including the Saginaw Chippeaw Indian Tribe — with contests in singing, drumming and dancing.

"People will come a long way to win a large amount of money," Syckle said. "(The contests) tend to bring in more drummers (and) dancers. The food vendors make traditional foods like fried bread and lemonades (while) the craft vendors trade bead-work, pouches--all types of native crafts."

Admission is free for students and members of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, with identification. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for elders and children. 

"Last year we had people from eight different states," Green said. "All over, not to mention territories in Canada — people from Ontario, Saskatchewan. Over 56 tribe affiliations, with the dancers and the singers."  

Fore more information on the Pow Wow go to cmich.edu/powwow.

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