Hozhoni Days pageant and powwow a festival of Native culture
Its Navajo name means "Days of beauty" -- a description perfectly suited to Hozhoni Days, two weeks of pageantry, powwowing, and celebration of cultures that is Fort Lewis College's longest-running student-led tradition.
The theme for this year's 51st annual Hozhoni Days is “Over the Hill, But Still on the Rim." Events include the annual Miss Hozhoni Pageant and traditional-skill workshops, and culminates in a two-day weekend powwow, where the winner of this year's Miss Hozhoni is crowned.
Sponsored by the Native American Center and Wanbli Ota, Hozhoni Days dates back to 1966, when the Shalako Indian Club, an early incarnation of today's Wanbli Ota, turned a small on-campus event into a full-blown celebration and renamed the multi-day event "Hozhoni Days." (Since the earlier event is included, this year is counted as the "51st annual Hozhoni Days,” and not the "49th annual.")
Today, the Hozhoni Days Powwow is the campus' premiere spring event, at which the FLC community comes together to celebrate the cultural diversity that FLC stands for. This year's powwow will be held at Whalen Gymnasium on April 17 & 18, and will feature drummers and dancers from around the country performing and competing for prizes.
The Miss Hozhoni Pageant is a multi-day contest consisting of public speaking, traditional food presentations, and traditional and modern talent performances. The person holding the title of Miss Hozhoni receives a scholarship and is recognized for the following year as the ambassador of the Fort Lewis College Native American community.
Miss Hozhoni Pageant events and cultural workshops sponsored by the Native American & Indigenous Studies Department include:
- Monday, April 6 Peyote Stitch 101 Workshop ($5 materials fee), 5:30 p.m., room 271, Center of Southwest Studies
- Wednesday, April 8 Miss Hozhoni Pageant: Traditional Food Night, 6 p.m., Student Union Ballroom
- Monday, April 13 Beaded Rhinestone Earrings Workshop ($10 materials fee), 5:30 p.m., room 271, Center of Southwest Studies
- Wednesday, April 15 Miss Hozhoni Pageant: Traditional & Modern Talent Night, 6 p.m., Student Union Ballroom
- Friday, April 17 Hozhoni Days Powwow ($5 admission), 5 p.m. Gourd Dance and 7 p.m. Grand Entry, Whalen Gymnasium
- Saturday, April 18 Hozhoni Days Powwow ($5 admission), 11 a.m. Gourd Dance, 1 p.m. Grand Entry, 5 p.m. Gourd Dance, and 7 p.m. Grand Entry and crowning of Miss Hozhoni, Whalen Gymnasium
- Monday, April 20 Pine Needle Basket Making Workshop ($10 materials fee), 5:30 p.m., room 271, Center of Southwest Studies