Skip to main content

Celebrate Native American Awareness Week at UW-Stevens Point

April 22, 2022
A Native American child performs at the AIRO Pow Wow
AIRO will host the annual Pow Wow at UWSP on May 7.

Events dedicated to Native American education and culture will be offered at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to mark Native American Awareness Week, May 2-7.

Sponsored by UW-Stevens Point’s Native American Center, all events are open to the public. There is an admission fee for Saturday’s pow-wow, other events are free of charge.

“The Native American Center hopes to bring visibility and representation of Indigenous people in a way that honors our culture in a historical and modern context,” said Rachel Davis, center director. “When students, faculty, administrators and the community engage in cultural programming, it is a gift of richness and beauty balanced with the challenges and hard truths that face us and impact us all.”

Events include:

  • Monday, May 2 – Acknowledgement Ceremony, 3:30-5 p.m., Laird Room, Dreyfus University Center, 1015 Reserve St., Stevens Point
    Enjoy music, food and speakers Brock Schreiber, American Indians Reaching for Opportunities (AIRO) alumnus, and Jessica Bemowski, Upward Bound alumna. Alumni of these groups are encouraged to attend.
  • Tuesday, May 3 – Michael LaughingFox Charette, Ojibwe flute performance, 4 p.m., Theatre, Dreyfus University Center
    An evening of flute music and storytelling.
  • Wednesday, May 4 – Wellness Series: Smudge Yourself, 3:30 p.m., Iris Fountain/Ancestor’s Buried Beneath marker south of the Dreyfus University Center
    Oneida Nation member Karen Ann Hoffman will bring an Indigenous perspective, give context to the practice of smudging and facilitate a hands-on experience.
  • Thursday, May 5 – Drum and Dance Demonstration, 4 p.m., Theatre, Dreyfus University Center
    Led by Dylan Prescott and the company, preview the dances of the upcoming pow wow and learn about the significance of the drum, different styles of dance and pow wow etiquette.
  • Friday, May 6 – Pow Wow Committee Open Forum, 6 p.m., Native American Center (Room 206), Dreyfus University Center
  • Saturday, May 7 – 47th Annual American Indians Reaching for Opportunities (AIRO) Pow Wow, 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Quandt Gym, Marshfield Clinic Champions Hall, 2040 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point
    • Grand Entry at noon and 7 p.m.
    • 10 a.m. AIRO 50th anniversary alumni talking circle
    • Feast at 5 p.m.
    • Admission is $5 non-students, $3 UWSP students with I.D., ages 55 and older and 5 and younger are free