Pášx̣apa Powwow

Whitman College is excited to announce the second Pášx̣apa Powwow, taking place on campus at the Sherwood Athletic Center on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This event will bring together tribal leaders, honored guests, drummers and dancers from throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Pášx̣apa Powwow Mission Statement

The mission of the Pášx̣apa Powwow is to support the Memorandum of Agreement between Whitman College and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and strengthen Native American outreach, Šináata Scholarship outreach, Native American representation, and Native American student support. Whitman College is working to move forward in a positive relationship with the CTUIR recognizing the history of this region, honoring the homelands of the Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Umatilla Tribes, and celebrating Native American culture to promote higher education opportunities and successes for Native American students.

Schedule of Events

Pre-Powwow Presentations

All presentations are free and open to the public, and will take place in Olin Hall Auditorium.

Monday, April 28 at 4 p.m.
Why Dancing and Where It Came From
Althea Huesties-Wolf

Wednesday, April 30 at 6 p.m.
Powwow 101
Fred Hill, Sr.

Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m.
Powwow Etiquette
Jeanine Gordon

Pášx̣apa Powwow

Saturday, May 3

11:30 a.m. Opening Remarks & Prayer
12 p.m. Grand Entry and Drumming & Dancing
4 p.m. Break
6 p.m. Grand Entry and Drumming & Dancing

Contestant winners will be announced throughout the powwow as scores are tallied.

Dancer Registration

Please complete the online registration form to register as a dancer. Dancers completing the registration online by Thursday, May 1 will receive 25 points toward their competition score.

The competition categories are:

Tiny Tots (1-6)
Golden Age Men (55+)
Golden Age Women (55+)
Men's Fancy/Grass (18-54)
Women's Fancy/Jingle (18-54)
Men's Traditional (18-54)
Women's Traditional (18-54)
Teen Boys Fancy/Grass (13-17)
Teen Girls Fancy/Jingle (13-17)
Teen Boys Traditional (13-17)
Teen Girls Traditional (13-17)
Boys Fancy/Grass (7-12)
Girls Fancy/Jingle (7-12)
Boys Traditional (7-12)
Girls Traditional (7-12)
Veteran's Honor Song
Jingle Dress Session 1 Special (18+)
Slick Style Session 2 Special (18+)

Competition prizes are:

Adult Specials for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Mastercard gift cards $200, $150, $100 and embroidered Pendleton blankets
Adult Categories for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Mastercard gift cards $200, $150, $100
Teen Categories for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Mastercard gift cards $125, $100, $75
Boy & Girl Categories for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place: Mastercard gift cards $60, $50, $40
Tiny Tots will receive gift bags

Drum Registration

We looked forward to welcoming up to 10 drums to the 2025 Pášx̣apa Powwow. Drum registration is now closed.

In addition to the registration, each drum lead must complete a W-9 form and a Performance Contract and return them by email to Joanie Lucarelli (lucarej@whitman.edu) by Friday, April 18.

Vendor Information

A limited number of vendor spaces will be available for people wishing to sell artwork, crafts or food items or provide information. All vendors shall comply with: The Indian Arts and Craft Act (IACA), 25 U.S.C. § 305-305(e), a truth-in advertising law designed to prevent the sale of goods that are falsely represented to have been made by Indians or sold in a way that conveys the impression that they were made by Indians.

Review further details and complete the online application form to request a vendor space at the Pášx̣apa Powwow. This application must be completed by Friday, April 18.

Volunteer

You can help make the 2025 Pášx̣apa Powwow an incredible success by helping with some of the important aspects of the day! The following roles are available:

Provide Directions Around Campus
Parking Assistance
Clean-up Crew
Monitor Building Traffic
Assistants to Powwow Leadership
Assistants to Vendors
Assistants to Elders

Please complete the online volunteer registration form by Thursday, April 24 to select a volunteer role and time shift.

Location

Sherwood Athletic Center, 47 S Park St, Walla Walla, WA 99362

Why “Pášx̣apa”?

Pášx̣apa, meaning Place of the Wild Sunflowers, is the Cayuse name for the Walla Walla Valley. By giving this name to our powwow, we honor the original inhabitants of this area at the same time that we welcome their descendants to return and hold this sacred event on Whitman’s campus.

The pášx̣a plant is known in English as Arrowleaf Balsam Root.