California State University, Northridge held its 40th annual Powwow on Saturday to celebrate the American Indian communities of Southern California. The event included Powwow performances by Bird Singers and Open Gourd Dancing, followed by the Grand Entry — a procession of all the dancers in traditional dress and regalia.

Teresa Williams León, director of CSUN’s American Indian Studies Program and CSUN’s new Senior Tribal Liaison Officer, said in a prepared statement, “This gathering is to celebrate Indigenous people, culture, dance, song and ceremony. It is a gathering for and by students, faculty, staff, families, friends, community leaders and members.”

After the Red Power movement in the 1970s, CSUN’s American Indian Student Association and American Indian Studies Program created the tradition of the annual Powwow.

CSUN acknowledges that the campus was built on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Sesevitam, whose descendants are now citizens of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians. Williams León said, “We pay special tribute to the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indian people and neighboring Tongva and Chumash people as we celebrate CSUN’s 40th Powwow this year.”