In a historic display of celebration and collaboration, Whitman College partnered with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and Walla Walla Community College to host the inaugural Pášx̣apa Powwow on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Sherwood Athletic Center.
A Sherwood gymnasium was transformed for the powwow, the first held on the land now housing Whitman’s campus in over 160 years. CTUIR General Council Chairman Lindsey Watchman said, “Having a powwow here on the grounds very close to where the original treaty was signed in 1855 is definitely a monumental moment.”
The Pášx̣apa Powwow drew in more than 400 attendees, with tribal members from throughout the region coming as well as Whitman students and faculty and members of the Walla Walla community. Invited drummers hailed from multiple Northwest tribal communities including the Yakama Nation, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, Nez Perce and CTUIR.
Whitman College President Sarah Bolton expressed gratitude for everyone in attendance, saying, "We are so honored to host this very special event, and to be joined by great dancers, singers, drummers and so many guests." She called the powwow a beautiful expression of the collaboration and shared vision of the Whitman and CTUIR communities.
During the powwow’s opening ceremonies, Watchman presented a tribal nation flag to President Bolton as a token of CTUIR’s friendship with the college.
Watchman said that the partnership that allowed for the creation of the Pášx̣apa Powwow has been a years-long commitment for both the tribe and the school. First formalized in 2017 and strengthened with a follow-up Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2022, the collaboration focuses on developing curricula centered around Native American studies, enhancing Native American recruitment and retention at Whitman, and fostering shared research interests.
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