{"id":38623,"date":"2025-11-06T20:46:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T20:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/38623\/"},"modified":"2025-11-06T20:46:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T20:46:10","slug":"native-american-cultural-center-opens-in-east-austin-austin-vida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/38623\/","title":{"rendered":"Native American Cultural Center opens in East Austin \u2013 Austin Vida"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Creative Director Nan Blassingame cuts the ribbon at the Native American Cultural Center\u2019s grand opening on Sept. 27. Photo by Pili Saravia\/Austin Vida<\/p>\n

On Wednesday evenings, laughter and conversations echo through an old elementary school where people bead bracelets, swap stories and sew dresses for an upcoming powwow. Outside, kids race across the grass, practicing archery and playing stickball \u2014 games passed down through generations of Native American families.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all part of Austin\u2019s Native American Cultural Center, which opened this fall in the former Brooke Elementary School campus that closed in 2020. The new East Austin center offers a place to gather, connect and celebrate culture, said Nan Blassingame, the center\u2019s creative director and a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unreal, so unreal, that we\u2019re here,\u201d Blassingame said. \u201cTen years of ideas rolling out like waves. They\u2019re coming at us fast this year. Everything I\u2019ve ever dreamed up in the past 10 years for this organization is coming this year so quickly.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blassingame joined the organization a decade ago \u2013 when it was called Great Promises for American Indians. Since 1991,\u00a0it had been housed in the AGE of Central Texas building in Central Austin, which had very little space to host public events and community gatherings.\u00a0But Blassingame dreamed of a place where more of the Native American community could gather.<\/p>\n

And as members more closely identified themselves as Native American over the years, Blassingame said, the organization changed its name as well, marking a new beginning for the center. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we got the new space, I said, \u2018Maybe we should just open (weekly workshops) up to the public and see if anybody will come for Wednesdays,\u2019 and about 20 people showed up,\u201d Blassingame said. \u201cBy summer, it was like 40 people. We just could not believe it that so (many) were craving community like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blassingame said the center, which occupies two rooms of the old elementary school, is meant to serve people from any tribe, and they have a variety of attendees from all backgrounds. With the new space, Blassingame said she might start hosting another workshop during the week, and she wants to continue hosting monthly potlucks with community members. She said the center will continue sponsoring and participating in local powwows.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur schedule for November is almost completely full of dancing every day,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Although the sewing workshops focus on making dresses for the Austin Powwow, an event presented by the center that features traditional dances and music, it has something for everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very therapeutic to craft,\u201d Blassingame said. \u201cIn the Indigenous community, there is a lot of depression and anxiety, so to me that really helps you focus on something else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Photo by Pili Saravia\/Austin Vida<\/p>\n

Blassingame said the U.S. has a history of removing or displacing Native American communities, which can bring up ancestral trauma or anxiety in people. On Indigenous People\u2019s Day, the center hosted a film screening of \u201cRemaining Native,\u201d a documentary about the boarding schools of the late 19th century, a government initiative that resulted in the abuse and deaths of Native American children.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After the screening, the center hosted a panel to talk about the boarding schools and how to remain united. Panelist Sylvia Jean said the community needs to come together to heal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cDance with me. Learn about being Native. Learn about how to remain Native. It\u2019s not easy,\u201d Jean said.<\/p>\n

Before the ribbon-cutting ceremony this fall, Austin City Council Member Jos\u00e9 Vel\u00e1squez said in a speech that he acknowledges the city stands on ancestral grounds as he welcomed the community to the new center.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we recognize and honor the original peoples of this land and their deep histories, living traditions and enduring contributions that continue to shape our community and our future,\u201d Vel\u00e1squez said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blassingame said having a cultural center recognized by Austin officials helps solidify their spot in the city, but it\u2019s not the end of their mission.<\/p>\n

\"\"Miss Austin Powwow Sasha Williams (right) stands in the halls of the former Brooke Elementary School building, which now houses the Native American Cultural Center. Photo by Pili Saravia\/Austin Vida<\/p>\n

For Miss Austin Powwow Sasha Williams, who attended the grand opening in a crown and a sash, the cultural center is also an opportunity for young people to learn about their culture and heritage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a job for me to stand up for my community and be there for them and support them (with) whatever they go through,\u201d Williams said.<\/p>\n

Not everyone grew up with that kind of support. <\/p>\n

Doug Martin, a board member for the Central Texas Cherokee Township, a nonprofit focused on uniting Cherokee members who don\u2019t live within the reservation\u2019s boundaries, said it can be easy for kids to stray away from their tribes, especially the ones centered in other states.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can raise your kids with the customs, so that if they do go to where grandma\u2019s from, they\u2019re not like a fish out of water,\u201d Martin said. \u201cIf we\u2019re doing it out here, we bring them that connection early.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Martin grew up, he didn\u2019t have a gathering place like this, and he was further away from his reservation in Oklahoma. He said his son has been fully immersed in the culture with the help of the center and the Cherokee Township.\u00a0Martin now teaches everything from archery to stickball to the next generation. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s people trying to reconnect with their heritage and hopefully we help with that, but we want people who didn\u2019t give it up,\u201d Martin said. \u201cEven when we\u2019re far away from our reservations, we\u2019re still connected.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Austin Powwow<\/p>\n

What: As the largest one-day powwow in the country, the Austin Powwow draws over 15,000 attendees and is filled with Native American dances, food and crafts. The event is presented by the Native American Cultural Center.<\/p>\n

When: Nov. 22 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

Where: Travis County Exposition Center, 7311 Decker Lane, Austin, Texas 78724<\/p>\n

Native American Cultural Center Wednesday Workshops<\/p>\n

What: A chance to sew, bead, craft, play or just chat. This event is open to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When: Every Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Where: Native American Cultural Center, 3100 E. Fourth St., Austin, Texas 78702<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Creative Director Nan Blassingame cuts the ribbon at the Native American Cultural Center\u2019s grand opening on Sept. 27.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38624,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[23911,132,134,133,447,1942,23912],"class_list":{"0":"post-38623","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-austin","8":"tag-atx","9":"tag-austin","10":"tag-austin-headlines","11":"tag-austin-news","12":"tag-community","13":"tag-indigenous","14":"tag-native-american"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38624"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}