This year is the 20th anniversary of the United San Antonio Pow Wow. It is where the native community invites tribes from across the U.S. to come to the Alamo City and share in rich traditions.
"The celebration today here is to promote our traditions and cultures through one another. You can hear the dance and music that we have," said the President of the United San Antonio Pow Wow, Erwin De Luna.
It only makes sense the sound of the drums and the traditional dancing brings tribes together in San Antonio. Ramon Vasquez, the Executive Director of the American Indians in Texas old us, "The history of San Antonio began with the American Indian population, which archeologists tell us has a 10,000-year history in the area."
De Luna added, "Texas has the fourth-largest population of American Indians and we only have three reservations here. It's also a religious gathering."
The Pow Wow is a celebration of a tradition that began at White Eagle, Oklahoma in the late 1800s. During the Pow Wow, they say wisdom passes from the elders to the children. "It's important that you also show other people who you are. Indian people. And to be able to pass those traditions to our children, our grandchildren, family, to our extended family," said De Luna.
And through an initiative called "Making The Invisible Visible," the American Indians in Texas aim to make people realize American Indians are still here. Vasquez told us, "One year there was actually a passerby and he looked at us and said, 'Indians? I thought we got rid of y'all along time ago.' So that is still in the mindset of a lot of people."
One of the goals of the United San Antonio Pow Wow is to dispel any stereotypes still floating around. "For example, we don't all live in teepees, we didn't all grew up on a reservation," said De Luna.
If you missed this Pow Wow they'll be having another celebration on April 21st during Fiesta.