50th Annual Dance for Mother Earth Powwow
We had a great time tabling at the 50th Annual Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor this year! So many opportunities for good conversation, alliance building, and community visiting.
Jesse even got to offer many Wados to singer/songwriter Keith Secola who gives us the rez song fave - ‘NDN Kars’. NDN Kars has been the number-one requested song on tribal radio since 1992.
Grandmother Jessie, our dear elder and master quilt-maker, made her customary star quilt for our Pow Wow raffle. This year, we decided to offer the proceeds to Connecting Gaza, a small org that provides eSIM cards to help Palestinian people stay connected to each other and the world. We saw this as a small way for our Indigenous-led org to support Indigenous Palestinians in their battle against genocide.
We offer a HUGE thank you to NASA (U of M’s Native American Student Association) for putting Pow Wow on, and to our True Earth team, ShuNahSii, Maro, and Nora, for showing up and showing out behind the scenes and behind the table!
As always, the food, dances, vendors, and overall community were a heartwarming experience and we look forward to next year.
Jesse Deer In Water (L) with True Earth volunteers (L-R) Maro Beauchamp, Nora Berry, and Mateo Alzate.
Jesse with the legendary Keith Secola.
Jesse and his youngest with True Earth volunteers Nora Berry and ShuNahSii Rose.