2008 Woodie Awards
Native students put on a Big Time
Terria Smith
Issue date: 4/9/08 Section: News
For 14 years the Native American and Humboldt State community enjoyed a Pow Wow each spring. People from local tribes and further came for music, dancing and togetherness, until four years ago when the university budget could no longer support it.
For many students like Priscella Camacho, a botany and Native American studies junior of the Pauite/Shoshone tribes, losing the Pow Wow was detrimental.
"I came to [Humboldt State] for the Pow Wow," Camacho said. "To not have it, I feel cheated out of an education."
Now, with the dedication of a supportive community and students like Camacho, there will be a California Big Time gathering this weekend in place of the Pow Wow.
A Big Time gathering is different from a Pow Wow, which comes from Native people in the plains region of the United States. A Big Time comes from California and allows time and space for different tribal groups to share their songs, dances and stories.
Camacho said the idea came after meeting and talking with graduate student Ruthie Maloney of the Hoopa/Navajo tribes. Together these two students started the Ensuring Native Inherent Traditions club this year and made starting a Big Time the club's priority.
The club has been fortunate enough to have the support of entities including the MultiCultural Center, Humboldt Area Foundation's Native Cultures Fund, and the office of the President.
Camacho said the event is important to her personally, since the lack of a cultural gathering has left her feeling isolated.
"The hard part is being away from my family and not having familiarity with the local culture," Camacho said. "It's like being a minority within a minority."
Marylyn Paik-Nicely, director of the MultiCultral Center, said she is excited about any Native American youth who may come to the event and see the campus. Humboldt State currently has the largest percentage of Native American students in the California State University system, at two percent. A lot of staff on campus would like to see this grow.
For many students like Priscella Camacho, a botany and Native American studies junior of the Pauite/Shoshone tribes, losing the Pow Wow was detrimental.
"I came to [Humboldt State] for the Pow Wow," Camacho said. "To not have it, I feel cheated out of an education."
Now, with the dedication of a supportive community and students like Camacho, there will be a California Big Time gathering this weekend in place of the Pow Wow.
A Big Time gathering is different from a Pow Wow, which comes from Native people in the plains region of the United States. A Big Time comes from California and allows time and space for different tribal groups to share their songs, dances and stories.
Camacho said the idea came after meeting and talking with graduate student Ruthie Maloney of the Hoopa/Navajo tribes. Together these two students started the Ensuring Native Inherent Traditions club this year and made starting a Big Time the club's priority.
The club has been fortunate enough to have the support of entities including the MultiCultural Center, Humboldt Area Foundation's Native Cultures Fund, and the office of the President.
Camacho said the event is important to her personally, since the lack of a cultural gathering has left her feeling isolated.
"The hard part is being away from my family and not having familiarity with the local culture," Camacho said. "It's like being a minority within a minority."
Marylyn Paik-Nicely, director of the MultiCultral Center, said she is excited about any Native American youth who may come to the event and see the campus. Humboldt State currently has the largest percentage of Native American students in the California State University system, at two percent. A lot of staff on campus would like to see this grow.
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NakonaAkicita
Lonnie Weeks
posted 4/17/08 @ 10:45 PM PST
I would like to thank all that put on and participated in the Big time event that Was put on by the Humboldt State students and faculty, my wife and grand children where some of the Pow-wow style dancers that put on a demonstration I along with some friends where on the drum group (Red Cedar) that sang pow-wow songs, It was a well planned event and we hope to be able to participate in it next year. (Continued…)
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