Rogers State University’s Native American Student Association will be hosting a May 14 powwow to honor all 2005 college and high school graduates.
The 2005 Claremore Graduation Honor Powwow will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at Soldier’s Field on RSU’s Claremore campus. The rain location will be the Bushyhead Fieldhouse on campus. The event is free and open to the public.
The Claremore Graduation Honor Powwow has been a community tradition for nearly 30 years and provides a culturally enriching activity to honor the accomplishments of college and high school graduates from northeastern Oklahoma, said Dr. Hugh Foley, RSU assistant professor in the Department of Communications and Fine Arts and faculty advisor for the university’s Native American Student Association.
Native American student organizations from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and Tulsa Community College are co-hosting the event.
The powwow will begin with a gourd dance from 2-5 p.m. A dinner break will be held from 5-6 p.m., with the gourd dance resuming from 6-6:45 p.m. At 7 p.m., the grand entry will begin and will culminate with an 8 p.m. dance to honor the 2005 graduates.
Food and merchandise vendors are scheduled to be available at the event throughout the day.
The head staff will be: Evans Ray Satepauhoodle, head singer; Tony Arkeketa, master of ceremonies; Liz Tiger, head lady dancer; Jeremy Johnson, head man dancer; Lenape Gourd Dance Society, head gourd clan; and Dude Blalock, arena director.
The powwow will feature dance competitions with prizes for first through third place in these areas: buckskin, cloth, jingle and fancy shawl, each in the women’s division; straight, grass, traditional and fancy, each in the men’s division; junior dance competitions for girls and boys, with all dance categories combined; and a tiny tots division.
For more information, please call (918) 343-7566.