The 2022 BraveNation Powwow and Gathering (BNPG) will be held Saturday, March 19, 2022, on the football field at the Grace P. Johnson Stadium at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Grand entry is at noon. Doors open at 10 a.m. to the public. 

Everyone is invited to join the BNPG as we celebrate the rich history and culture of America’s Indigenous peoples. The powwow and gathering features competition dancing, vendors, and recruitment activities for American Indian high school students. This is an alcohol and drug-free event.

Admission is:

• $5 for adults
• $3 for elders (60+), ages 7-18, and alumni
• Free for children (6 and under) and UNCP students, faculty, and staff with a UNCP ID
• Non-UNCP college student admission (with college ID) is $3

Dancer and Drum Registration: each dancer and drummer will pay the general admission fee of $5 and be allowed entry into one competition. Art vendor registration is $50 while food vendor registration is $100. The dancer, drum and vendor registration forms are available at www.uncp.edu/powwow. Bag chairs and selling merchandise by non-approved vendors is not allowed.

A commemorative T-shirt is available for purchase. Adult sizes are $15, and youth and toddler are $10. The shirt features the red-tailed hawk (UNC Pembroke’s mascot), Old Main, and traditional Southeastern American Indian motifs.

The dance categories and prize amounts are:

• Drum Contest: 1st: $500, 2nd: $350, and 3rd: $200
• Adult (18+): 1st: $200, 2nd: $150, and 3rd: $100 (men’s northern and southern traditional, women’s northern and southern traditional, men’s fancy, women’s fancy, men’s grass, and women’s jingle)
• Teen (13-17): 1st: $100, 2nd: $75, and 3rd: $50 (men’s northern and southern traditional, women’s northern and southern traditional, men’s fancy, women’s fancy, men’s grass, and women’s jingle)
• Junior (6-12): 1st: $75, 2nd: $50, and 3rd: $25 (boy’s traditional, girl’s traditional, boy’s fancy, girl’s fancy, boy’s grass, and girl’s jingle)
• Tiny Tot (5 and under): prizes to be awarded
• Special:
  • Sidestep for Missing, Murdered, and Abused Indigenous Women (MMAIW): 1st: $100
  • Alumni Dance Special (Eastern Woodland): 1st: $100

Head staff:

• MC: JD Moore
• Assistant MC: Ryan Dial-Stanley
• Arena Director: John Oxendine
• Host Drum: Stoney Creek
• Head Dancers: Female – Ciena Fedor; Male – Cameron Richardson
• Head Judge: Jamie Locklear

For more information, please visit www.uncp.edu/powwow, email powwow@uncp.edu, or call 910.775.4663.