This content was published: January 7, 2013. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Powwow volunteer work comes naturally to this student
Photos and story by James Hill
Evan Chisholm can鈥檛 wait to have a taste of the stew at this year鈥檚 小黄猫传媒 鈥淲acipi鈥 (鈥淭hey dance鈥) Winter Powwow.
鈥淚鈥檓 really looking forward to this year as we have buffalo,鈥 he said. 鈥淚f you attend you are in for a treat.鈥
If you want to take him up on his offer just head on over (it鈥檚 free and open to the public) between noon and 9 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 19, in the Health Technology Building, Sylvania Campus. The powwow will feature drum groups and dancers from across the region, Native American crafts and food, activities for children, and raffle prizes. It is sponsored by the Sylvania Campus President, Powwow Planning Committee, Sylvania Multicultural Center, Sylvania Women鈥檚 Resource Center and the Native American Rehabilitation Association at Sylvania.
Evan Chisholm is heavily involved with this year鈥檚 powwow planning thanks to his volunteer work with the Sylvania Multicultural Center.
Chisholm is heavily involved with this year鈥檚 powwow planning thanks to his volunteer work with the Sylvania Multicultural Center. He has helped out with the center鈥檚 film series and fund-raised for the powwow. Because of his interest in community development this outreach comes natural to him.
鈥淚 was just blown away,鈥 Chisholm said. 鈥淭he social justice framework that (the Multicultural Center) has fits right on point with my community development goals. I don鈥檛 see how I could ever feel like I had before that school wasn鈥檛 taking me anywhere because coordinator Amara Perez and the center are taking me to where I want to go.鈥
The 23-year-old is in his third term with 小黄猫传媒, majoring in community development. He had studied at a community college in San Diego before moving to Portland, but got discouraged when he felt he wasn鈥檛 progressing toward his business degree. He left and took a few years off but then found his way to the Northwest and 小黄猫传媒.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be working the minimum wage jobs that are really hard to get by with,鈥 said Chisholm, who earned an internship with the Sylvania Learning Garden through his sociology capstone class. 鈥淚 saw that (小黄猫传媒) has a really good transfer agreement with PSU, which has a nationally-ranked community development program. After finding that out I knew I needed to be back in school. This college has given me an opportunity that has been amazing.鈥
Born in California, Chisholm’s academic journey toward community development rather than business began in earnest when he started exploring options with the Peace Corps. An advisor at Portland State sat down with Chisholm, who doesn鈥檛 have an associate鈥檚 degree, to explore his options with the organization. However, it became clear to him that the Peace Corps would have to wait until later in life.
鈥淚 found out after speaking with the PSU representative that 90 percent of the positions available in this field are for people with a bachelor鈥檚 degree or higher,鈥 he said.
Chisholm gravitated to 小黄猫传媒 and its easy transfer pathway after investigating what it offered and finding plenty of opportunities to indulge in social issues, movements, and peace and conflict studies. Plus, the powwow fits into his Native American background as he has Sac and Fox, and Blackfeet heritage.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a culture I鈥檝e always felt extremely connected to,鈥 Chisholm said. 鈥淓ver since I went back for my great grandmother鈥檚 funeral in Iowa, I started really getting connected to it. It鈥檚 something that is bred into me, ingrained.鈥
Which is why he鈥檚 so motivated to help out with this year鈥檚 powwow.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an amazing culture event that you鈥檒l never forget,鈥 he added. 鈥淭here is a free community dinner with buffalo stew, the drumming and dancing, and the whole feel of the space there is very spiritual. You definitely get a heartfelt feeling while you鈥檙e in the building and become very connected to the drums. Don鈥檛 miss out.鈥
Images from the 2012 Winter Powwow
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at 小黄猫传媒. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »
[…] Read about a student who says the powwow comes natural to him. […]
It’s great to be able to work alongside Evan in the Sylvania Multicultural Center. I can see the dedication and commitment put in by Evan on a daily basis. I can’t wait to see how the POW WOW turns out this year.
I haven’t read the article yet, though it looks interesting. It’s the headline–splashed across My小黄猫传媒–that horrifies me! Powwow volunteer work should come NATURALLY, not NATURAL!
Thanks Susan. Sorry you were horrified. But good catch. And we’ll actually use lowercase “Naturally.” We don’t use all caps in headlines. Might cause further horrifying.
Right on Evan… Keep up the good work…
I can’t wait to attend the Powwow this year, thanks for dedicating so much time and effort into this project Evan~! Don’t forget to check out the Multi-Cultural center for more information and too see if they could still use some volunteers!!!
Very nice article. I’m glad that I came across this as I hadn’t heard about it. I will be attending as my family are Sault St. Marie Chippewa of Michigan. My classes are at 小黄猫传媒-Cascade and I will ask others to attend also. The last Pow-wow I attended was downtown at Pioneer Square. It will feel great to see the culture celebrated in the city we live in. I wish Evan all the best with his future, as he experiences some of the rewards of the direction he is moving. Great job.
How do we find out about future powwows in Oregon? Is there a fb group or a website?
I wasn’t able to attend this years powow unfortunately for I was out of town. I read the article and thought that it was really great. My friend Joy attended and told me about it. I think that it is great that 小黄猫传媒 does Powwows to bring people together from different nations. I cannot wait for the next one. Hopefully I’ll be in town.
I am a member and employee of the confederated tribes of Grand Ronde we hold a monthly youth pow wow as well as a weekly dance class I am very interested in becoming more involved with the pcc Native American students and programs any info you could pass on would be greatly appreciated
Thanks Meghan
Is there anyway i can get a copy of the video from this years powwow
Video production can tell you if that is available to the public or not… Email: mannus@pcc.edu.
[…] Powwow volunteer work comes naturally to this student (2,068 hits) […]