American Indian Pow Wow March 28 in Field House

Buder Center's American Indian Awareness Week begins March 23

An American Indian Pow Wow, a traditional food tasting and a panel discussion on health in Indian Country are among the highlights of American Indian Awareness Week March 23-28. All events are free and open to the public.

The annual awareness week and Pow Wow, hosted by the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, allow American Indian students to share their unique cultures with the campus and the St. Louis community.

The theme of this year’s events is “Celebrating Community Health and Wellness.”

“Based on our academic experiences and the addition of the Brown School’s new Master in Public Health program and the University’s new Institute of Public Health, ‘Celebrating Community Health and Wellness’ is a good fit,” says Matthew Kull, Pow Wow co-chair .

“As Native nations continue to strive toward improved standards of living for their tribal members, we hope our Pow Wow will be an additional resource for educational materials and resources to improve health in Indian country.”

The celebration kicks off on Monday, March 23 with an information booth and Buder Scholar panel discussion on “Raising Consciousness: Faculty and Peer Awareness of Native Health” at 11 a.m. in Goldfarb Hall, Room 132.

Movie night on Tuesday, March 24, features “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” at 6 p.m. in Goldfarb Hall Student Commons.

At 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, Chief Albert White Hat, Sr., chair of the Lakota studies department at Sinte Gleska University on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, will discuss Lakota life, including language, history, philosophy and spirituality. After the lecture, Buder Center students and staff will offer a sampling of American Indian foods in the Goldfarb Student Commons.

Buder scholars and Chief White Hat Sr. will present Pow Wow 101 in the Danforth University Center Fun Room. Attendees will be able to find out everything they want to know about an American Indian Pow Wow.

The celebration culminates March 28 in the Field House with the 19th annual Pow Wow, a festival of American Indian dancing, singing, drumming, arts, crafts and food. There also will be health information booths at the event providing information on diabetes prevention and awareness, first aid certification with the American Red Cross, heart disease, and services available to veterans through the VA Hospitals.

Intertribal and contest dancing take place at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Traditional arts and crafts booths open at 10 a.m.

“The Buder Scholars continually work to support and ensure the occurrence of the Pow Wow because it provides an opportunity to make non-Native Americans in the St. Louis community aware of the issues facing Indian Country,” says Sherri Brooks, Buder scholar and Pow Wow organizer.

“Not only is the Pow Wow an annual event that provides cultural enrichment to the local and University community, it is an important event for the St. Louis Native American community as it is the only consistent Pow Wow in over a 100 mile radius.”

The Buder Center, the American Indian Student Association, the Seneca Tribe, the Women’s Society and several departments as well as area businesses and organizations sponsor the American Indian Awareness Week and Pow Wow.

For more information, call 935-4510 or visit buder.wustl.edu.