UNO To Offer Online Pow-Wow

Omaha, NE (April 15, 2021) For the first time ever, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at UNO will host a virtual all nations Pow Wow. The event will premiere on the UNO website this Saturday, April 17, 2021 at 1 P.M.

The UNO Pow Wow is named “Wambli Sapa Memorial Pow Wow” to honor the legacy of Ponca Tribal Chairman Fred LeRoy, a prominent Ponca leader and respected elder. LeRoy fought to have his tribe, the Northern Ponca, reinstated as a federally recognized tribe in the late 1980s after the United States government terminated recognition in 1966. Through his persistence, the tribe was reinstated on Oct. 31, 1990, when then-president George H.W. Bush signed the Ponca Restoration Act into law, firmly establishing the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska.

The annual event brings together Native Americans and non-Natives to honor the generations with indigenous dance, song, and cultural traditions.

Taking an event like a Pow Wow into a digital space while maintaining the event’s significance and honoring generations of Natives of all nations is no small task. The production entailed extensive coordination by event organizers, consideration and planning to continue traditions that are typically carried on in-person, and multiple days of video production work.

This year’s virtual ceremony features a welcome statement from Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., prayer from Chairman of the Ponca tribe, Larry Wright, Grand Entry, flag song and presentation, a variety of dance performances, and a discussion with LeRoy’s daughter, Rhonda Free. Vendors will also participate selling beautiful arts and crafts through virtual means when the event premieres online.