'Open your heart': Community invited to annual powwow featuring young dancers
When Melanie Dominguez settled in Vancouver with her three children in 2004, she found a sense of support in the Native American Indian Education Program. The federally funded initiative, offered by local school districts for Native students, provided a judgment-free space where her children could stay connected to Indigenous culture.
Her oldest son, Sergio, became a part of the program's drum group and learned how to boot and grass dance. Dominguez, an enrolled member of the Native Village of Hooper Bay in Alaska and a single mother at the time, said that support was critical for the rest of the children's upbringing.
"It takes a village to raise a child," Dominguez said. "I was very fortunate that I had this local, Native community who were there along the way to provide encouragement not only to my children but to me when times were tough."
All six of her kids would eventually become part of the program, some even "born into it," she said.
IF YOU GO
What: Native American Rising Generations Foundation's traditional powwow
Where: Clark College O'Connell Sports Center, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver
When: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, with grand entry parades at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and dinner break at 5 p.m.
Information: rising-generations.com
When Evergreen Public Schools eliminated the program in 2018, Dominguez became part of the Native American Rising Generations Foundation in an effort to help Indigenous youth in Southwest Washington find the same sense of connection her children experienced.
The Clark County nonprofit now hosts a powwow every spring. While this year the powwow will be held the same day as other local competition powwows, Dominguez is hopeful participants from all over the Pacific Northwest will attend, ready to perform dance steps and fashion their colorful regalia.
Most of the younger participants, including the head female and male dancer, will be from Portland. As the Native American Rising Generations Foundation becomes more established, Dominguez hopes more Indigenous Clark County youth will be represented in the future.
The group, which meets twice a month at the Educational Service District 112 Conference Center, has practiced various songs and dances from different members of the group to prepare for the powwow. At one practice in early April, youth and parents learned a Chinook Indian Nation traditional frog dance.
While it may seem like an atypical way to approach things, Dominguez believes embracing a wide range of Native American and Indigenous traditions has been central to the group's efforts to reach more Clark County families.
Youth members of the Native American Rising Generations Foundation have tribal affiliations that vary from the Canneci Tinné Apache Tribe to Colville Tribes, Yakama Nation, Mayan and native Hawaiian.
"We're always out there reaching out to people," Dominguez said. "If there's somebody who has knowledge that they want to share, whether it's telling a story or dance, I want our youth to learn the stuff that they need to keep it livable for many generations. It's all about growth."
Canya Barnes, chairperson for the Native American Rising Generations Foundation, said sharing Indigenous knowledge and traditions can be especially impactful for youth growing up as "urban Indians" or far from their tribe's native land or reservation.
Similar to Dominguez, Barnes' children started in the Native American Indian Education Program in 2003.
Barnes, a native Hawaiian, and her husband, who traces his heritage to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, said her kids struggled in school and felt disconnected with their personal identities.
Being among other Indigenous and Native American youth made them feel like they had a sense of belonging.
"Things really changed a lot," Barnes said. "Even though we have opened the program up to other people, we're still seeing parents who want their kids to connect with other people that are a lot like them. That is really our point."
For Dominguez and Barnes, building a space where the next generation of Indigenous youth can grow into their identities, grounded in culture and community, is what continues to guide their efforts.
Barnes says all are welcomed to Saturday's powwow and urges visitors to experience the tradition with all of their senses.
"Don't come with any preconceived notions," Barnes said. "I think just open your heart and experience the moment. Enjoy it and then take away something from it."
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 7:19 AM.