SPANISH FORK — A cultural celebration at Spanish Oaks Elementary Friday night brought together of hundreds of people to honor the Native American tribes of Nebo School District students and their families.
The Nebo Title VI Camp Eagle Pow Wow started with a traditional Grand Entry. As tribe members began beating a large drum and chanting, the crowd stood and honored the dozens of dancers who entered the large circle wearing colorful Native American regalia. Ava Allison, 11, was among the group wearing a beautiful green dress designed with small beads to mimic the rain.
"I like this, I just feel safe in this because my family members made it for me and it's just really meaningful to me," said Ava.
Ava is Navajo and Sioux. She says her grandmother created the beading on her dress and hair pieces. During Friday's Pow Wow she performed a Jingle Dance.
"It's a healing dance, so sometimes I think of someone who needs a little help and think they're dancing with me," she said.
Ava is one of approximately 90 students who participate in Eagle Camp each summer provided by the Nebo American Indian Education Program. The program's mission is to support the academic and cultural needs of Native American students in the district. During the camp, educators teach the correct knowledge of the history, culture and way of life of the American Indians.
"Pow Wowing is a way for Native American Tribes to be able to gather, to be able to make friends and unite their own families, a chance to be able to celebrate whatever is going on in the community," said Eileen Quintana, Title VI American Indian Education Program manager. "For this event, we are celebrating youth and we're celebrating that we have lived in this valley for thousands of years — our ancestors sang their songs, they danced, they gave birth, they buried their loved ones in these mountains."
Approximately 500 kids from Goshen to Springville participate in the American Indian Education program, according to Analysa Allison, a Title VI teacher for the Nebo School District. Allison said her daughter Ava has participated since she was about a year old. She hopes Friday's Pow Wow encourages more families to attend Camp Eagle next year.
Learn more about the American Indian Education Program in the Nebo School District by visiting the organization's website: indianeducation.nebo.edu.
By: Shara Park, KSL