Tatiana Barcindebar sings during the Native American Student Association’s 29th annual Benefit Powwow on March 1, 2025, at the Maverick Activities Center.
File photo / Elvis Martinez-Cartagena
The Native American Student Association will host its 30th annual Benefit Powwow, centered around a dance competition rooted in Native American culture, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Maverick Activities Center.
Stephen Silva-Brave, the organization’s president, said the event will feature competitions with different categories, singing, drumming and dancing, along with vendors selling handmade goods.
Silva-Brave said it is important to showcase an event rooted in Native American culture to remind both Native and non-Native people who they are.
“They keep us culturally grounded,” he said. “For non-Natives, it’s just good to see the culture of the first people of this country and just a reminder of the fact that we’re still here.”
The event is in honor of Les Riding-In, a former Native American Student Association primary adviser and College of Business graduate recruiter who died in August.
Riding-In played a huge part in the powwows, according to previous Shorthorn reporting. The events have run smoothly and grown over the years. The creation of the UTA Land Acknowledgement Courtyard was also one of Riding-In’s many accomplishments.
Silva-Brave said students can get many things out of the event, including being educated about the dances and the regalia.
“There’s the educational aspect, there’s the cultural aspect, but it’s also just a fun event,” he said.
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