BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Tejon Indian Tribe brought its annual "Honoring Our Ancestors" Pow Wow back to Cal State Bakersfield for the first time since 2019, celebrating Native American culture, tradition, and community.
A grand entry of dancers marked the return of the tradition to CSUB as tribal members and visitors came together for the two-day gathering.
Tribal spokesperson Candi Asuncion said the pow wow is a celebration.
"It's something for us as a tribe to be able to honor our ancestors, honor our loved ones that are no longer here with us; honor our traditions and our cultures, but also to celebrate our culture as well," Asuncion said.
The gathering brought together dancers, singers, and drummers, with crafts and traditions shared with people from inside and outside the tribe.
Celeste McGurk and her family are Navajo and traveled from Sacramento to attend the event.
"It's a wonderful celebration. It is our first time here. We've been enjoying ourselves. I come out here with my family. My youngest one is 8 months and then my oldest is 10, so we're definitely coming here as a family event," McGurk said.
Visitors also had a chance to get an up-close look at traditional crafts. Gary Pickett demonstrated flintknapping, the process of shaping stone into tools and other objects.
"Flintknapping is a production of stone tools, so we're taking these raw rocks. And striking into them and then producing pieces off of that to work down," Pickett said.
For the Tejon Indian Tribe, the pow wow is an opportunity to share their customs with the public.
"There are people that have never attended a pow wow, and so we get to be able to share our culture, our traditions with the community at large," Asuncion said.
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