On Friday, November 1, Clark College welcomed the community to its annual POWWOW as it hosted Educating for the Seventh Generation, a celebration of Indigenous cultures in Gaiser Student Center.

It was a family affair for all ages — from toddlers to teens, from young parents to senior grandparents and great-grandparents all reveling in the cherished community event. Vendors set up at tables to sell their crafts, including jewelry, art, and clothing.

First, Native American veterans presented the colors. Next, drummers sitting in a circle on the stage, pounded rhythms and chanted. That was the signal for the dancers. Wearing colorful regalia, dancers moved rhythmically along the floor as the bells on jingle dresses tinkling along with the drums.

Attendees were invited to participate in a round dance, and they jumped in, including Vancouver, Washington mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle. A blanket dance was also performed, and the blanket was spread out to collect donations for the college’s Dreamcatcher Scholarship.

Dreamcatcher Scholarship

One highlight of the event is announcing the students who were selected to receive a Dreamcatcher Scholarships. The scholarship is designed to help current and future Clark College students who identify as Native American Indian, Alaska Native, Hawaiian Native or indigenous to the Americas. The Dreamcatcher Scholarship will be awarded from the fund in the name of Becky Archibald and Anna Schmasow for their endless commitment advocating the education for the Seventh Generation. 

The 2024 Dreamcatcher Scholarship recipients are:

• Michelle Britz
• Dabai Do Che’
• Kayla Morgan

Scholarship recipient Kayla Morgan said, “I’m from Aniak, Alaska. I proudly embrace my Yup’ik heritage.”

The Clark College student is in her first quarter of the dental hygiene program pursuing her goal to become a dental hygienist.

Morgan said, “The Dreamcatcher Scholarship allows me to pursue this path, providing crucial support as I advance in my education and work toward making a difference in dental health.”

Scholarship recipient Michelle Britz has Tlingit ancestry. She is pursuing an associate in arts degree at Clark College and plans to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree to pursue her career goal of occupational therapist. Britz is a single mother of three young sons. Her oldest son with disabilities has been an influencing factor in her direction of study.

She said, “It’s been amazing seeing him grow and learn from various therapies. I’m very interested in how the mind and body work together. I’ve also always enjoyed helping people. Working with people directly keeps me engaged.”

Britz added, “It feels like I have a mountain in front of me, but I am going to do my absolute best to provide a happy and full childhood for them. Luckily, I have an opportunity to gain a degree that would allow me to help people and still be available for my children in the after-school hours. This scholarship, along with FAFSA, would relieve me and my family of some of the financial stress that tuition presents.”

History of the POWWOW at Clark College

Since 2009, Clark College has celebrated Indigenous cultures during the first weekend of November with a powwow that includes music, dance, food, vendors, honoring of veterans, and the announcement of the Dreamcatcher Scholarship honoring our vision of Educating for the Seventh Generation.

Clark College coordinates and hosts this annual event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. “Educating for the Seventh Generation” references our responsibility to teach the future Seventh Generation to maintain our resources, traditions, and customs. It is the way of caring and preserving for the Seventh Generation, which is a true sustainable practice to consider the impacts of every decision for the next seven generations into the future.

Learn more about Clark’s POWWOW here.

Photos: Clark College/Carly Rae Zent

On Friday, Nov. 3, Clark College welcomed the community to its annual Powwow event as it hosted Educating for the Seventh Generation, a celebration of Indigenous cultures. 

Gaiser Student Center reverberated with drumbeats. Drummers sitting in a circle pounded a steady beat as they chanted. Dancers wearing colorful regalia moved rhythmically up and down and along the floor in a whirl of color.  

The dancers and their families had spent countless hours hand sewing their jingle dresses and sewing elaborate beadwork on dresses, leggings, belts, chokers and moccasins. Many wore traditional basket hats woven from cedar bark. 

Catarina’s story 

Clark College graduate Catarina Salazar was ready to dance. She had spent countless hours creating her colorful regalia. She had hand sewn and twisted 365 metal cones on her red jingle dress. She had beaded her earrings and had made a choker of bone and beads.  

Catarina’s tribal affiliation is Dakota/Sioux. She gestured toward her brother sitting nearby and said, “We’ve been dancing since we could walk.” 

After earning her associate degree at Clark in 2021, Catarina earned her bachelor’s degree at Central Washington University. Now she is pursuing a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology at Capella University and will graduate in 2027.  

When she was a Clark College student, Catarina received the Dreamcatcher Scholarship twice. The funding helped her step toward her goal: becoming a clinical counselor at the Veterans Administration and working with veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder. 

But now, it was time for Catarina to dance.  

2023 Dreamcatcher Scholarship recipients: 

• Duana M. Johnson 
• Dabai Do Che 
• Meridian Bonser 

History of Powwow at Clark College 

Since 2009, Clark College has celebrated Indigenous cultures during the first weekend of November with a powwow that includes music, dance, food, vendors, honoring of veterans, and the announcement of the Dreamcatcher Scholarship honoring our vision of Educating for the Seventh Generation. 

Clark College coordinates and hosts this annual event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. “Educating for the Seventh Generation” references our responsibility to teach the future Seventh Generation to maintain our resources, traditions, and customs. It is the way of caring and preserving for the Seventh Generation, which is a true sustainable practice to consider the impacts of every decision for the next seven generations into the future. 

See the 2023 POWWOW photos by Clark College photographer Jenny Shadley on our Flickr site here.  

On Friday, November 1, the aroma of fry bread wafted through Gaiser Student Center as Clark College hosted its annual “Educating for the Seventh Generation,” a celebration of Native American cultures and mini-powwow. The event included food, music, dancing, and socializing among the estimated 275 guests.

 

 

Native American flautist Isaac Trimble provided music as guests arrived. Then emcee Sande Allman and arena director Ed Goodell got the event started. Clark College President Bob Knight and Clark College Trustee Jack Burkman welcomed the assembled guests on behalf of the college and its trustees; Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt also offered a welcome from the city. Native American military veterans led the grand entry, after which there was an invocation and then an honoring of the recently passed. Clark College Facilities Services fiscal specialist Lori Jimerson spoke in memory of longtime Clark employee and supporter Bob Moser, who died in December 2012. Moser was a strong supporter of Clark’s Native American student group when it was first receiving charter in the early 1990s.

Much of the rest of the evening was given to dancing, including a “Tiny Tots” dance hosted by Child and Family Services and a series of exhibitions of the powwow dance styles of all the tribes in attendance. Guests also enjoyed “Indian Tacos” served in the adjoining cafeteria, while drummers provided music for the occasion. The dancing continued late into the evening, with a diverse range of dancers–from grandchildren to grandparents, some dressed in full regalia and others in jeans and T-shirts.

This is the fifth year that Clark College has coordinated and hosted an event in honor of Native American Heritage Month. It is one of four signature events hosted by the college annually to celebrate diverse cultures. According to organizers, the title references “a responsibility to pass on and teach the future seven generations to protect our resources, culture and heritage.”

A selection of photos are below. Click here to view the full Flickr album.

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