Culture, says Native American leader Chasity Dial, is medicine.

So, when Dial, the CEO of American Indian Health and Family Services (AIHFS), joins other Native American leaders at Wayne State University this weekend for Powwow in the D, the hope is that the daylong cultural celebration can inject a little hope and healing into the local community.

“To have a powwow is to continue practicing cultural traditions that Native Americans were once banned from practicing,” Dial says of the program, which will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at the WSU soccer field. “They would have to gather in secret to practice culture. So, it's just important for us to be able to do it in the open now and invite all different cultures to participate and to learn about Native American culture, which is a huge part of this country's history that has not been expressed positively.”

The powwow, which AIHFS holds very year but will take place at WSU for the first time, will feature drumming and traditional Native American dances as well as vendors selling food and handmade crafts. Powwow in the D will be co-sponsored by the university’s Office of Multicultural Student Engagement (OMSE).

“It's so exciting to be a part of this important event as we celebrate Native American culture,” says Stephanie Hawkes, senior director of OMSE. “From learning more about traditional indigenous dance and song to sampling Native foods to supporting Native artists, I hope the WSU community will come out to celebrate with us.”

Ezra Hernandez Roberts, acting president of the university's Native American Student Organization, hails powwows as reflective of Native Americans' "resilience and determination."

"They are a loud and joyous example of our survival in spite of the countless systems designed to see Indigenous people, our histories, knowledges, and traditions removed and forgotten," he says. "We are still here, doing what we've been doing for thousands of years."

Professor Sandra M. Gonzales, the faculty advisor for the Native American Student Organization and coordinator for a Native American learning community, says healing is critical for a community that, despite numbering close to 50,000 in Southeast Michigan, too often remains marginalized and silenced.

“The powwow is medicine,” Gonzales says, echoing Dial. “For the students, faculty and staff, having the powwow here means having some representation on campus and in the community. One thing that Native American students struggle with sometimes is that, even in course descriptions and in curricula, they have to hear phrases like ‘who were once here’ or ‘who are now extinct’ to describe their people. It can be harmful to the psyche of Native communities — and it is misinformation. It’s very important to have ceremonies like this on campus that share cultural traditions. People can learn firsthand from the various communities that will be represented. We hope everyone can join us for this important day of ceremony and celebration.”

Go here to learn more about the Powwow in the D celebration.