PENDLETON, Ore. – The second annual Two Cultures-One Community (TCOC) Powwow is Feb. 28 through Mar. 2 at the Pendleton Convention Center.
“If you’ve never been to a Powwow it’s a powerful, moving and enjoyable experience,” said Pat Beard, Co-chair of the TCOC Powwow. “The drums are almost overwhelming and the dances are full of movement and color.”
The TCOC Powwow will include four sessions of competitive dancing, drumming and singing over the weekend, featuring local participants and performers from Oklahoma, New Mexico and Canada, as well as 50 vendors of traditional Native arts.
“Pendleton has long been a home for makers of traditional arts, crafts, beadwork and other handmade items,” said Beard.
The original idea for the TCOC Powwow came from a conversation between Beard, who manages the Pendleton Convention Center, and Fred Hill, the Language Director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) and a teacher of the Native tongue.
Beard and Hill’s conversation led to the formation of a committee comprised of Pendleton residents and CTUIR members, which ultimately resulted in the TCOC Powow to “create community and foster better relations between the City of Pendleton and the CTUIR,” according to Beard.
The inaugural TCOC Powwow featured 600 dancers, 15 drums and drew 12,000 people to the Pendleton Convention Center last year, quickly making it one of the largest Powwows on the West Coast.
The TCOC Powwow continues to be a working partnership with both Pendleton locals and CTUIR member serving on the board.
Admission to the TCOC Powwow is $5 per session or $15 for the weekend and tickets are available at the door. The Pendleton Convention Center is located at 1601 Westgate in Pendleton, OR.
