UC Santa Cruz to host first off-campus powwow in more than 30 years

This Sunday, for the first time in 33 years, UC Santa Cruz will host an off-campus powwow at Kaiser Permanente Arena in downtown Santa Cruz.

Organized by the American Indian Resource Center and the Student Alliance of Native American and Indigenous Peoples, this year’s powwow will bring Native American communities together from across California and Turtle Island — a name for the continent used by some Indigenous people — for a day of cultural celebration. The event is co-sponsored by UCSC and Cabrillo College.

Held on Uypi and Amah Mutsun lands, the event will feature traditional dancing, singing, feasting, and an exchange of Indigenous arts and crafts. Rooted in Indigenous tradition, the event seeks to promote unity and cultural pride while preserving ancestral Native practices for future generations. 

The American Indian Resource Center, established in 2000, continues its mission to support Native students and foster campus-community connections.

Doors will open 10:30 a.m. Sunday and the event will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The drug-free event is free and open to the public, although donations are accepted.