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Flags planted along the perimeter of the grassy arena at the 52nd annual ɫ��ɫ Pow Wow represented the variety of Native American cultures that gathered on lower campus this past weekend.

They were flags from various American Indian nations: Cheyenne-Arapaho, Desert Band of Chippewa, Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, Oglala Sioux, Oneida, Kiowa, Cherokee, Diné/Navajo. Most of them were given as gifts to Cal State Long Beach, which hosted the longest running university-based powwow west of the Mississippi River on Saturday and Sunday.

Dancers, singers, drummers, family members, vendors and observers came from local communities and as far as the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest and Canada to gather in celebration, prayer and unity.  

“Powwow is community – I see my family and my friends here,” said Amethyst Vazquez, a member of the Saponi-Catawba tribe historically based in North Carolina and Virginia. She wore a red dress with jingles that made a pleasant shaking sound when she walked or danced. “It’s also a place of prayer. This is where I really connect with my creator, and I’m in my regalia. I’m in my spirit here.”

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Markie Seabaugh, 20, a member of the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, also wore a red jingle dress that she made herself, inspired by her late mom. “I grew up going to powwows,” she said. “I dance for my mother who passed, and for the loved ones who can no longer dance anymore.”

The powwow was in a new location this year – the intramural rugby and soccer fields on lower campus, instead of the Upper Campus Quad, where it had been held for decades. The new location offered more space to dance, stand in line for Indian Tacos, eat, browse the vendor tents and relax.

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“In terms of support staff from the university, everybody we’ve interacted with has just been super efficient and accommodating,” said Craig Stone, a longtime powwow organizer and American Indian Studies faculty member who’s officially retiring this year. “We could not have asked for better support. We ended up having more space. Families are able to set up their tents. And the grass is higher in quality – it’s something else.”

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Stone and other organizers estimated that about 6,000 people attended the two-day powwow, which is the largest and oldest continuously running student-sponsored event on campus. It’s also the largest gathering of American Indians in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

“I was happy to see my flag out there,” said Justin Littledeer, 37, a dancer who grew up in northeast Oklahoma and is a member of the Cherokee tribe. “(Powwow) keeps me grounded. It connects me to home. It’s a family thing. Being in the arena, and being around Natives dancing, 100% it connects me back.”

A Marine Corps veteran, Littledeer now lives at Camp Pendleton. “In my lifetime, there’s more of a taking control of the narrative,” he said. “For a lot of years, other people were telling our stories, but now it seems like Natives are taking control of that ourselves. And that’s a good thing. It’s really positive.”

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Rue Cepeda ’22, former president of ɫ��ɫ’s American Indian Student Council, was one of a handful of alumni who came back to the powwow to volunteer. She helped sell the popular “Long Beach Pow Wow at Puvungna” T-shirt, which nearly sold out again this year.

“Powwow is an expression of our sovereignty as tribal nations,” said the Long Beach resident. “It’s really about our nation-to-nation relationships between tribes. We all respect one another. We’re all coming here to powwow with the intention of not only dancing but creating relationships with one another.”  

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Elizabeth Bryant, a fourth-year civil engineering student at ɫ��ɫ, also serves as secretary of the American Indian Student Council.

“For me, it’s really just a time to come together as a community and celebrate our culture,” said Bryant, who is Choctaw. “It’s also a great opportunity to educate people. There have been a lot of questions, and it’s been really nice to tell people what it’s all about …. It’s pretty special to be a part of it.”

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Larissa Bohay served as head woman dancer during the 52nd ɫ��ɫ Pow Wow. She gave and received gifts during the two-day gathering, and led all dancers in a slow, contemplative dance Sunday afternoon.

Bohay is half Kiowa, half Bishop Piute. Her grandfather Phil was one of the founders of the ɫ��ɫ Pow Wow in 1969. Her father, Steve, brother, Eric, and uncles have also been closely involved in the powwow for decades. 

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Bohay has participated in the ɫ��ɫ Pow Wow since she was a little girl. She dances in the traditional ways, but she also sings.  

“I feel like I’m not doing it for myself, I’m doing it for people who are hurt, or are mourning, or are sick, or having a hard time,” she said. “I feel like I don’t do it for me. I do it for others. That’s one of the reasons why I keep going.”

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