AGOURA : Indian Gathering Celebrates Culture

More than 500 people are expected to attend today’s American Indian powwow at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura, a gathering organizers describe as a combination religious ceremony, learning event and dance-a-thon.

“In a sense, we are coming together to practice,” said Eva Larson, a board member of the Burbank-based Friends of Satwiwa, which is helping to organize the event. “A lot of us are spread out, so when we have a gathering we can help secure our cultural identity. And it allows our children to be around other native people.”

American Indians from as many as 75 tribes are anticipated at the seven-hour powwow, scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., said E. Jane Cazabat of American Indian Education Resources. But most of those attending the event, which will include a blessing of the area, singing, dancing and drumming, are expected to be non-Indians, she said.

“This is a chance for us to not only reclaim our culture, but to also teach other people about it,” said Cazabat, who traces her roots to the Creek and Seminole tribes, which originated in Oklahoma. “Everyone is welcome.”

Dance competitions also will be held, with performers judged on their skill and their “respect for the arena,” Cazabat said.

“For the dancer, it is important that any ill feelings are left outside, and that you go in there with the right frame of mind,” she said. “You use the same type of respectful manner you would use in a church, because it’s not just a dance.”

The event, sponsored by Friends of Satwiwa, American Indian Education Resources and the National Park Service, is part of a resurgence of cultural pride among the 45,000 American Indians in Los Angeles County, as well as those in other urban areas of the United States, said Larson, a Navajo.

“It’s really an evolution,” she said. “As we were systematically dumped into one group as the government began to interact with tribes, one positive thing came out of it--these gatherings and powwows became a way for us to maintain our cultural identity.”