Two Cultures, One Community Powwow returns to Pendleton. What to expect

Before the doors open at the Pendleton Convention Center, the drum is already sounding.

Seated on the floor beside it during a recent practice, elders sang songs passed down for generations as the steady beat moved through the hide and into the room. Young dancers waited their turn, adjusting bright regalia and listening closely.

The 3rd Annual Two Cultures One Community Powwow will return Feb. 27 to March 1 at the Pendleton Convention Center, 1601 Westgate. Organizers expect more than 600 dancers and nine drum teams, with 35 judged dance categories throughout the weekend.

But for the men around the drum, the gathering stretches far beyond three days.

Back in the mid 1970s, Fred Hill Sr. was just nine years old when an elder approached him at a powwow and called the group of young singers the “Umatilla studs.” The name stuck. Decades later, a few of those original singers are still alive.

“This is the next generation here,” said Hill, vice chairman of the Umatilla Two Cultures One Community Powwow and master speaker for the Umatilla Language Program. “We try to pass it down and keep it alive.”

Hill described Páaxamt, a traditional war dance honoring veterans and ancestors, as part of that continuity. He said it is performed to acknowledge service and sacrifice, connecting today’s dancers with those who came before them.

“It’s a privilege that we have the songs and the dances,” Hill said. “We are grateful to have this place to be around this drum. This is our lifeway.”

Matt Farrow has been drumming since he was 15. Now 50, he brings his own son to learn beside him.

“We try to carry it and pass it down so that others will learn our history and culture,” Farrow said. “If we can carry those songs and teach them to our kids, it will keep going, and then they can pass it on, and it won’t stop.”

The drum, both men said, is more than rhythm.

“The drum is a representation of what’s called the Big Circle,” Farrow said. “It’s the heartbeat of nature and our people.”

During grand entry, when all dancers enter the arena together, organizers estimate between 600 and 700 dancers will fill the floor. Across four sessions over the weekend, more than 12,000 attendees are expected.

Pat Beard, manager of the Pendleton Convention Center, said the event has grown steadily since its first year.

“This is the right event at the right time,” Beard said. “It’s less about growth and size than it is the experience and the quality of the event.”

The theme, Two Cultures One Community, reflects Pendleton’s identity. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation share the city’s eastern edge, while the Pendleton Round Up and western heritage define much of its public image.

“You couldn’t separate one from the other,” Beard said. “It’s all blended. It’s all woven together.”

The powwow will include an honor drum, victory songs to warriors and veterans, intertribal dancing, headdress contests and a hand drum competition. Forty vendors will offer handmade goods throughout the weekend.

For Hill, the focus remains on the young people who gathered quietly during practice before heading home for chores and homework.

“We are always trying to teach the young boys to learn just like we had the opportunity,” he said.

When the drum sounds for grand entry, the arena will fill with color, motion and song. But the foundation was built long before the doors opened, in a circle on the floor where elders sang and the next generation listened.

This story was originally published February 26, 2026 at 8:00 AM.