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.

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

Wednesday, April 30 at 6 p.m., Cordiner Hall South Lawn
Tipis 101
Fred Hill, Sr.

Friday, May 2 at 4 p.m., Olin Hall Auditorium
Powwow Etiquette (view the presentation slides)
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.

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.

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.

Complete the online vendor application if you are interested in having booth space at the Pášx̣apa Powwow. If you have questions, arts/crafts/information items vendors should contact River Freemont (river.freemont@gmail.com or 503-341-9966) and food vendors should contact Shane Laib (slc99362@gmail.com).

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.