Tulsa Community Presents the 57th Annual Tulsa Powwow Event!

The 57th Annual Tulsa Powwow Event is being held on July 17-19, 2009 at the Spirit Bank Event Center at 105th and Memorial in Tulsa, OK. This Tulsa community event celebrates the Native American heritage, dancing, singing, craftsmen and food. Hosted by the Tulsa Indian Club, the Tulsa Powwow provides a social gathering for Indian and non-Indian alike.

Since the Tulsa Indian Club’s origins in 1947, they have passed down the songs and dances of Oklahoma’s Native American population to the next generation through the competitions and exhibits at this Tulsa community event. This year, the Club is happy to host Cherokee hip-hop artist, Litefoot, who will perform at the 2009 Tulsa Powwow on Saturday, the 18th. In addition to the standard dance contest categories, there will be three special contests this year- the Women’s Fancy Feather, Old Style Men’s Fancy Dance and the Indian Clown Contest.

Tulsa CommunityAdmission is $5, and you can enjoy the Native artists and craftsmen, along with Native American food from 3pm to 11pm on Friday, and 10am to 11pm on Saturday and Sunday. The crowning of the 2010 Tulsa Powwow Princess will be held on Friday evening at 7:30pm. The Grand Entry of Dancers will be held every evening at 7pm, with mid-day shows on Saturday and Sunday at 1pm.

The festivities include afternoon and evening gourd dancing, traditional singing and competitive and specialty dancing in junior and senior divisions. There will be special guest performances by local and national Native American performers.

The ethnic festival is an annual Tulsa community event that showcases prominent tribal individuals and representatives, veterans of the armed services and the children of Northeastern Oklahoma. The Tulsa Powwow is reminiscent of the backyard powwows that were held by area tribal leaders in Tulsa in earlier times. The traditional dances of these backyard powwows brought back the strong history and memories of loved ones and were an expression of their heritage. The traditional dances, handed down through the generations, celebrate the ancient ways of the Native American culture.

The Tulsa Indian Club offers annual memberships of $20 per year and the memberships are open to everyone that wants to be a part of the historic Tulsa Powwow and belong to one of the oldest Tulsa Native American organizations. The members participate in raising awareness of current Tulsa and Northeast Oklahoma Indian issues and they coordinate, manage, volunteer and participate in cultural exchanges throughout the area. Monthly meetings are held every fourth Wednesday, 6:30pm at the Central Library, 400 Civic Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Tulsa Powwow offers fun for the entire family and the ethnic Native American food sales are something many people look forward to, especially Indian fry bread. This Tulsa community event is a cultural experience for those that are interested in learning about the Native American culture, crafts, food and dances. The dance competitions are something the tribal participants look forward to each year and the spectators enjoy the colorful and varied performances. Bring the whole family and experience the Tulsa Powwow and Oklahoma’s Native American heritage.