The annual Hart of the West Pow Wow returned on Saturday for a celebration of Native American culture with dance performances, food and music at William S. Hart Park.
Celebrating its 31st year, the Pow Wow is meant to welcome everyone for a chance to learn about the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians and other native American tribes, said tribe President Rudy Ortega.
“A lot of different tribal people from across the county, and some have come out of state to come dance and exhibit their traditional dancing styles. For Santa Clarita residents, this is to bring something that they can enjoy and participate in,” Ortega said.
The free celebration also highlighted Native American vendors selling goods from clothes to woven baskets, and native foods to immerse attendees into the full experience.
Last year, over 10,000 people were present for weekend-long event. The Pow Wow continues the celebration on Sunday from 10 a.m. Until 5 p.m.
Over the years, crowds have grown bigger, which has been great to see, Ortega said, because “people enjoy seeing and witnessing other people’s culture … it helps educate the community and public about how things are done in the native traditions.”
Nelli Muñoz was looking at an assortment of Native American jewelry and wearing regalia paying homage to the culture at the celebration.
Her mother, Alma Muñoz, said in Spanish that living down the street from Hart Park allows them to visit the event every year and enjoy the culture. Her husband also supports small-business vendors and has compiled a collection of Native American pieces throughout the years.
Their favorite part of the event is watching the performances filled with drums, multicolored outfits, and lots of feathers, they said.
As more people slowly trickled in throughout the morning to enjoy the first day of the Pow Wow, basket weavers Tina Garcia and Romona Cano of Mahoney and Teen Native Baskets were not just selling multicolored woven basket but also sharing a piece of their heritage.
Each basket takes four to 18 hours to complete depending on the size, Garcia said, and they found a passion for the craft after they both lost their mothers and needed to be close to family.
The two cousins now run the small business together to perfect their craft but also learn how to embrace a part of themselves to the rest of the world.
“We’re very private people. We don’t dress for the powwows. We don’t sing, we don’t do everything that everybody else does,” Garcia said, adding that with the growing passion of basket weaving, it was also something they wanted to protect.
But, last year’s handmade items were well received and reassured them that Native American traditions may not be seen everywhere, but are appreciated when highlighted.
Garcia prides herself as a member of the Chumash tribe and describes their community with a lot of closeness within the family.
“My uncle is a dancer and storyteller. My dad does the stories and the songs, and he’s the spiritual advisor. We get to see all our family come out here. I could say now that I’m a basket weaver,” she said. “it’s really cool, and just to be more in touch with our roots. I think our grandparents would both be really proud of us doing this.”