The campus and local communities are invited to learn more about Native American heritage and culture at a powwow Sept. 14 at St. Bonaventure University.

The university’s Native American and Indigenous Studies program will host the Old Bridge Singers for a mini powwow at 6:30 p.m. in the Reilly Center Arena.

The event, which will feature a variety of Native American dances from across North America, is free and open to the public.

A powwow is a joyous celebration in which different tribes gather in a social atmosphere. It is an expression of culture and an opportunity for non-Native Americans to learn and celebrate.

“This initiative is part of our effort to introduce a ‘Seneca module’ into all sections of the freshman-required Bona 101 class under our three-year National Endowment for the Humanities grant we received in January,” said Dr. Oleg Bychkov, NAIS program director.

The $147,000 grant is a humanities initiative designed to strengthen NAIS and humanities teaching at St. Bonaventure and further develop a mutually beneficial relationship with the nearby Seneca Nation.

Justin Schapp, a deer clan citizen of the Seneca Nation, the chief equity & diversity officer for the Salamanca City Central School District and an adjunct instructor for the NAIS program, is a key partner in implementing the grant and was vital to creating a successful grant proposal.

The Old Bridge Singers come from the Allegany Territory. The group shares not only the songs and dances of the Haudenosaunee, but Western powwow singing as well. The group is named after three bridges on their territory that were flooded when the Kinzua Dam was built in the 1960s.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of our students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring in them a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. St. Bonaventure was named the #5 regional university value in the North in U.S. News and World Report’s 2022 college rankings edition.