Native jewelry, blankets, paintings.

A grass dance special — an honorary men’s dance with fringe-adorned regalia.

A hand drum contest. A five-man drum contest.

A head woman special: jingle vs. grass — an honorary women’s dance with metal cones-adorned dresses competing against grass dancers.

All these events and more were part of the 27th Annual Wildhorse Pow Wow at El Camino College on Saturday, Feb. 1 and Sunday, Feb. 2.

The powwow, which included traditional dancing and drumming performances, vendor booths and scholarship awards were part of the festivities that took place inside and in front of the North Gymnasium.

The event was hosted by the Wildhorse Native American Association, a non-profit organization that gives “urban Native American youth in the Los Angeles area an opportunity to learn about traditional values,” according to their website.

The traditional, intertribal event marked its second year in a row at ECC, after previously being held at Leuzinger High School in Lawndale for several years.

The opening event, the grand entry procession at noon, is a sacred moment when elders and military veterans lead all dancers into the arena circle.

Moderated by master of ceremonies Arlie Neskahi, Diné, who is also known as the voice of the radio program “Wisdom of the Elders,” the gathering showcased Native dancers from near and far wearing colorful, intricate regalia.

El Camino College film major and content creator Tyler Notah, 21, from Redondo Beach, sings and drums with the Wildhorse Singers drum group at powwows and helps run vendor spaces.

Notah, whose family teaches traditional songs and dances at workshops, said he remembers the powwow previously being hosted at various high schools, including at North Torrance High School when he was younger.

“Now we’re [at ECC] and I’m honestly liking it here because we’re in a college gym, so it’s a much bigger space to work with,” Notah said.

The event also features scholarship awards and fundraising, and during Saturday’s ceremony, over 25 scholarships were awarded to Native youth, all in attendance at the event.

The Wildhorse Native Foods booth raises funds for scholarships through selling Indian tacos, fry bread and other food items and drinks.

“We come out for the community … but also we support the community as well,” Notah said. “All those that receive these scholarships — it all comes from our food booth; it comes from the powwow.”

The Wildhorse website lists scholarship totals dating back to 2013, when a total of $2,775 was awarded to an unspecified number of recipients. In 2024, $20,000 was awarded to 40 Native youths in the Los Angeles and Riverside County areas.

The powwow committee selects the powwow head staff, which includes the master of ceremonies, a head man dancer, a head woman dancer and a host drum group.

In addition to Neskahi, this year’s honors went to Stoney Cloud Dodson, 26, from Fresno; Kiara Love Flores, 23, from Pala; and Enemy Heart, from San Jose; respectively.

“At this powwow, we’re here to celebrate the dancing and celebrate some good life. A lot of people come here to dance for other people. It’s very selfless when you come to a powwow,” Flores said.

As head dancers, Flores and Dodson serve as role models and are the first to enter — behind the elders and military veterans at the grand entry — and lead the dancers throughout the event.

The day was filled with competitions, honorary dances, raffles and an intertribal dance where attendees were invited to join in the circle.

“There’s no real big contest; nothing too competitive going on, so it’s a really good time to be here and just enjoy the time with everyone,” Flores said.

Vendor Johnnie Begay, of Piñon, Arizona, incorporates cartoon characters and pop culture from his youth into his paintings. He traveled from Phoenix to be at the powwow.

Begay said his paintings, which are available as prints or on T-shirts through his website E2K Studio Arts, all reflect his life experiences or represent people in his life, including those featuring popular cartoon characters.

“Each one of these paintings actually tells a story … of either my kids or political views,” Begay said. “It all coordinates with different paintings, and when you combine the paintings together — it actually tells one giant story.”

An ECC Public Relations & Marketing Department press release reveals that ECC had an active Native American Club that sponsored the 12th Annual All Nations Pow Wow in 2010 on the now-named Featherstone Field.

The press release also states that the late, famed actor Saginaw Grant, of the Sac and Fox and Otoe-Missouria Nations, served as the event’s head gourd dancer.

In addition, an ECC flyer states that the Native American Club sponsored the 13th Annual Powwow Native American Cultural Festival in 2011.

Lastly, an article from The Union reveals that 2012’s 14th annual spring powwow was canceled.

No further record of an ECC or Native American Club-sponsored powwow was found and as of the fall 2024 semester, there is no Native American Club among the student organizations at ECC.

The Wildhorse Pow Wow is one of the first powwows of the year in the region, after the Pechanga Pow Wow in January.

For information on upcoming powwows, visit News from Native California or Pow Wows.

*The Wildhorse Native American Association, several dancers and members of Enemy Heart were contacted for information and permission to publish photos.