The 27^th annual University of Iowa Powwow will take place on Saturday, April 15, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds. Abby Buffalo, an undergraduate student research assistant with the Native Center for Behavioral Health based in the College of Public Health, is the president of the Native American Student Association (NASA), which takes the lead in organizing the event.

A member of the Meskwaki Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, Buffalo is currently a student in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with her eye on a health care career. “I just applied to Iowa’s nursing program to hopefully graduate with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing,” she says.

Describing her role as president of NASA, Buffalo says she works to create an environment to support Native American students’ academic success and to create social and cultural activities for the students and community to come together at large.

“Powwow is our biggest event we plan and host throughout the year,” she says. “Our powwow coordinator, Dominique Badajoz (descendent of Meskwaki) worked extremely hard to put this event together. We worked to fundraise all year, spent time searching for vendors, and tried to spread the word about the event as best as we could.

“One big change we made this year was to move the powwow from the UI Field House to the Johnson County Fairgrounds. The earth and nature are very meaningful to Native and Indigenous cultures, so having it there outside I think will be a very big, positive change.”

Buffalo encourages the public to attend the powwow and learn about Native American traditions.

“Powwow’s are a huge celebration in Native American culture. However, this is also a very sacred and special time for us all,” she says. “I know on the UI Powwow web site there is an etiquette section. I highly encourage visitors to read through that, or do their own research, in how to be respectful at a powwow.

“Also, powwow’s are a great place to become educated on Native Americans and their traditions,” she adds. “We welcome any- and everyone to attend, and hope you enjoy watching our dances, listening to our songs, and learning more about our culture.”

The event is free and will be held at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, 4261 Oak Crest Hill Rd SE, Iowa City. See the schedule of events here.