Native American Powwow returns to Moorpark July 20-22

It is celebration and ceremony, meeting place and marketplace. The 2018 Children of Many Colors Native American Powwow will take place on the lower athletic field of Moorpark College July 20-22. Visitors are welcome and are asked a $2.00 per vehicle donation, with no parking or entry fee. The gathering is referred to as an intertribal powwow, meaning that many indigenous nations are represented, and that it is a family, social powwow, not a contest powwow.

If you're listening throughout the course of the weekend, however, you will hear of four contests. There will be a Warriors Wear Pink Contest on Saturday, raising awareness of Cancer and promoting healthy life choices. On Sunday, a Warriors Wear Blue Contest will be held for Diabetes awareness. Sponsored by Bobby Whitebird of the northern Cheyenne nation, these "contests" will be exemplary of contemporary culture; typically, a dance contest pares only one style of dance, where these two awareness-themed dance-offs will welcome all native dance styles.

There will be two other contest songs where visitors will get to see how it's done when Monica Lopez Jacob hosts an old-style women's jingle dress dance, and Johnny Ignacio Velazquez hosts s men's northern traditional dance. These "specials" as they are called showcase the traditional dances and offer an opportunity for some friendly competition.

There will be other activities happening in the arena, including dances that are called Intertribals, and during these, visitors are welcome to come into the arena and experience the beat of the drums and the voices of the singers from inside the circle.

Outside the dance arena, roughly thirty vendors, a number of whom will be bringing hand-made silver jewelry form their native lands of Arizona and New Mexico. There will also be a storyteller on Saturday, acupuncture on Sunday, and food al weekend, plus Veteran's, health and community organizations set up in the powwow's outer circle.

The powwow begins Saturday, but festivities start on Friday evening with an open flute circle, where all wind instruments and their players are invited to share. All experience levels are welcome.
The powwow is hosted by the non-profit association Redbird, and sponsored in part by Moorpark College, the California Arts Council, Ventura County Community Foundation, the Moon Family Trust and Lodge Circle Ministry.

Where: Moorpark College Athletic Field, 7075 Campus Road, Moorpark 93021
When: Friday 6-10 PM Saturday 11 AM to 10 PM, Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM
For more information: redbirds_vision@hotmail.com or text (818) 279-4366