Native American culture will be celebrated this weekend at the 40th annual Council of Three Rivers American Indian Center Pow Wow. The event includes more than 150 dancers and drummers from multiple Native American tribes.
Cultural advisor Mike Simms said even though there isn’t a reservation in Pennsylvania, there is still a thriving native community, which is shown at the Pow Wow.
“It’s a great experience,” Simms said. “It gives you a chance to realize that the native culture’s not dead and we’re still here practicing our culture and our teachings.”
The two-day Pow Wow is held at the group’s center in Dorseyville, Pa. The council was established in the early 1970s in Homewood as a place for native people to gather and celebrate their traditions. Simms said one change at this year's Pow Wow is the new dirt dance arena, which replaced the old asphalt site. Crafts and food -- including Buffalo burgers and Native American fry bread and chili -- will also be available, he said.
The center is important to the region, Simms said, because it gives Native American people a place to gather and share their practices.
“If we don’t maintain that culture now, the generations behind us won’t know where they’re from and anything about their culture,” he said.
The Pow Wow is Saturday and Sunday from noon - 7 p.m.
