Children of Many Colors Powwow shares the past, embraces the future

The 17th annual Children of Many Colors Powwow took place July 14-16 at Moorpark College. There were some new faces among the head staff, and some regular attendees were unable to come. A number of vendors from Arizona and New Mexico took part in the three day celebration along with local Native American crafters.

The temperature over the weekend hovered around 90, with high humidity. It was hot, yes, but the people who participated didn't do a lot of complaining. The gathering was strong...at once public and intimate...probably as close to fulfilling Redbird's goals in hosting the gathering as any powwow has come.

Those goals are about cultural continuity and public outreach. The powwow is a place for the public to experience a taste of indigenous cultures in a welcoming atmosphere and in real time. The powwow is not a performance or a show, but a cultural gathering.

Inside the arena, the center of the circles that make up the powwow, dance styles recalled traditions and history, but many times it was said that this generation will be warriors using education. The classroom is where they will earn their honors and find ways to move their people forward.

That is not to say the future of the powwow as we know it...songs, regalia, dancers and singers, drums and dances - is on its way into the history books. In fact that is the driving force behind this community powwow, this family gathering. Cultural continuity does not occur inside of museums or in documentaries. Culture is lived. Language must be spoken. Memories must be shared in person from one generation to the next.

In the southern California Indian community, that is particularly important, because today's children grow up surrounded by consumerism as opposed to culture. They are pressured to conform, lemming-style, to the American Dream. More. Bigger. Better. Faster. Me versus us. Individuality versus community. Mine versus ours.

It's more than dance styles at stake. It's a tradition of knowing how to care for each other that's endangered by modern urban life. For three days the Children of Many Colors Powwow sets that aside. It honors community. And it looks to the future...today's youth...to lead the way forward.

Moorpark College also seeks to be a part of this community, and has been an official co-sponsor of the powwow since 2016. The Barbara Barnard Smith Fund for World Musics, managed by the Ventura County Community Foundation, is the longest standing supporter of the powwow. The powwow generates less than half of the cost of producing the event, so sponsorships and local community support are critical to the continued survival of the powwow. The Moon Family Trust has been a significant contributor for the last three years.

The name "Children of Many Colors" was inspired by a speech given by Oren Lyons, Native American Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Lyons said "Every woman is a mother, and every man an uncle, to every child, no matter what color they are." It is this community spirit and understanding which guides Redbird in hosting this gathering.

The powwow takes place on the third weekend in July, on the practice football field at Moorpark College. Once a lush and inviting expanse of green grass, the grounds have been transformed by drought to a hot, dusty landscape. If ninety degrees seemed a lot hotter this year than it did in previous years, the reason is the lack of grass. In the absence of the cooling grass holding the earth moist and compact, ninety degrees is magnified by the reflective heat coming from the bare soil. But it didn't seem to have much effect on the workings of the inner circle. The gathering was strong, solidifying bonds across families, across cultures.

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