Discover how the NAPAC Intertribal Powwow welcomed Native and non-Native guests alike – to experience drumming, dancing, food, and culture, in a neighborhood school gym in outer East Portland …
In the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood, the Ron Russell Middle School gym becomes a powwow arena as Native American dancers in traditional regalia join the David Douglas School District NAPAC Intertribal Powwow.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The David Douglas School District (DDSD) NAPAC Intertribal Powwow at Ron Russell Middle School brought Native culture, song, and dance into the heart of the Powellhurst-Gilbert neighborhood on Friday, April 17. The open-to-the-public gathering welcomed students, families, and neighbors for an evening of drumming, dancing, food, and community.
Held in the Ron Russell gym, the powwow grew out of the work of the Native American Parent Advisory Committee (NAPAC), and the Indigenous Student Union (ISU) at David Douglas High School. Joshua Miller, who chaired the committee, described the event as a way to make Native culture more visible – and more familiar – in outer East Portland.
MHA Nation member Joshua Miller, who chairs the DDSD Native American Parent Advisory Committee, welcomes families and neighbors, as the powwow program gets underway in the Ron Russell gym.
Miller, a member of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota — the MHA Nation — participated alongside his son, who is active in the ISU. He characterized the powwow as a deliberate effort to bring Native traditions “closer to home” for local families.
“One of the biggest things that this does is it brings our native culture closer to home, especially in this part of the city,” Miller explained. “When we did this last year, and as we are doing it this year, we’re trying to make it seem a little bit more normal”.
Colorful regalia began to fill the floor as families arrived through the late afternoon. Guests took their seats, while vendors and community groups finished setting up around the perimeter. The smell of fresh frybread drifted across the gym, hinting at the mix of celebration and neighborhood gathering that would carry through the evening.
Visitors crowd the school’s hallways, where vendors are set up offering their handmade jewelry, artwork, and other Native crafts to curious shoppers.
Showing one of her many handmade earring sets, here’s vendor Serena Hart, an Anishinaabe/Ojibwe artist, with Kwey’s Creations.
An open invitation to the wider community
Organizers emphasized that the powwow was intended for the entire community, not just Native families. Admission was free, with doors opening at 4 p.m., and with the Grand Entry stepping off at 6 p.m.
Guests were invited to watch dances and ceremonies, visit Native vendors, and purchase food ranging from Sister’s Frybread to Hi K Shootz Grill.
Just outside the gym, David Phongphila of Hi-K Shootz Grill dishes up another steaming ‘Combo Bowl’ of ‘Hawaiian comfort food’ for hungry powwow-goers.
Miller underscored that inclusive spirit. “It’s open for everyone to learn,” he stressed.
He pointed out that people attending did not need any prior knowledge of Native cultures to feel welcome.
“I would say that it helps people understand the native culture a little more, and there are over 570 different tribes, so there’s way more than just what’s here right now, but there are many here in Portland from many different areas,” Miller observed. “We can bring all those people together to share in song and dance and food, and in community”.
The evening was structured as a family-friendly event with a strong educational focus. In addition to drumming, singing, and dancing, the program featured Native vendors, games, storytelling, and activities for kids, along with a special honoring of graduating seniors. The gathering remained drug, alcohol, and vape free.
Marching down the center of the gym, Grand Entry begins as flags and dancers lead the way into the powwow arena.
Featured drummers of Four Directions hold the beat steady as the Color Guard reaches the front during the Grand Entry.
Drums, dancers, and honoring traditions
Once the Grand Entry began, drums beat out traditional rhythms and participants entered the circle, the gym shifted from a busy school space into a shared ceremonial space.
“Arena Director” Ed Wulf coordinated the flow on the floor, keeping the procession moving smoothly as the participants entered and circled around the open area.
Drum host Four Directions anchored the arena, joined by additional drums Turquoise Pride and Northern Black Horse. Their songs provided the heartbeat for the powwow, with singers’ voices rising and falling as dancers in bright regalia – from tiny tots to elders – filled the floor. At times, the seating area thinned as more participants, friends, and family members joined the intertribal dances.
Between songs, visitors moved among vendor tables where Native artisans and community groups offered beadwork, artwork, and cultural items. Others lined up for frybread and grilled specialties, turning the edge of the gym into a social space where families visited and old friends reconnected.
After the Grand Entry, participants in Native dress stand and watch the opening ceremony from the edge of the arena.
Focus on students and community connection
Miller connected the powwow directly to students in the Indigenous Student Union, and to Native youth across the district. He viewed the event as a visible sign that Native students and families belong at David Douglas schools – and that their cultures are valued.
He framed the gathering as both a celebration and a chance for young people to see their culture reflected in a public, school-based, setting. “That’s a big part of why we’re doing this, is for the students,” Miller said.
He also emphasized the value of having non-Native neighbors attending, watching, and learning.
“It elevates the knowledge on all the different kinds of tribes and the native culture,” Miller reflected. “It also welcomes in more people because they spread the word, and they’ll tell other people about it, and they could be like, ‘Hey, we’re not native, but we’re going to go to this pow wow, and we’re going to enjoy it. Everybody is welcome’ – and that’s something that we tried really hard to let everyone know. You don’t have to be native to be here”.
Throughout the late afternoon, families filtered in and out, but the space remained busy.
This Powwow is under way as the arena fills with color, song, and movement.
Community and sponsor support
The powwow was presented through a partnership that included Metro; David Douglas School District; the Native American Parent Advisory Committee; the Portland All Nations Canoe Family; and the David Douglas High School Indigenous Student Union.
Additional support came from sponsors such as Tattoo 34, Bison Coffee, A Bead Source, Back to the Basket, Coca-Cola, Topaz Farm, the Miller family, the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Portland Public Schools, Sister’s Frybread, and Hi-K Shootz Grill.
Miller viewed that backing as another sign that the event has become a meaningful part of the district’s calendar and of outer East Portland’s cultural life.
By the time the final songs wrapped up at Ron Russell Middle School, the DDSD NAPAC Intertribal Powwow had again shown how a neighborhood school could host a vibrant, living expression of Native culture – and how a public event could open the door to wider understanding across East Portland’s diverse communities.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
