Hozhoni Days celebration back for a 45th year at Fort Lewis College
DURANGO, CO - The Hozhoni Days (Navajo, meaning “Days of Beauty”) celebration is one of the oldest and biggest events at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. In years past, Hozhoni Days has attracted as many as 5,000 participants and visitors from across North America.
Hozhoni Days 2009 will begin March 17 and run through March 28, 2009. The celebration highlights the cultures of many of the over 120 tribes represented by Fort Lewis College Native American students.
The kickoff event for Hozhoni Days 2009 will be a presentation by Hoskie Benally, School Board president of the New Mexico Consolidated School District, Native American disability rights advocate and medicine man. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. in the Memorial Student Lounge and is presented by the Pejuta Tipi Society and Wanbli Ota, two of the Native American student organizations at Fort Lewis College.
Traditionally, the most popular events have been the Miss Hozhoni Pageant and the Hozhoni Days Powwow.
The Miss Hozhoni Pageant begins on March 23 with contestant introductions at the FLC Native American Center at noon. The Pageant continues until a new Miss Hozhoni is crowned during the Powwow.
The Hozhoni Days Powwow begins Friday, March 27 and runs through Saturday, March 28. The event draws thousands of visitors from across the country to Whalen Gym at Fort Lewis College.
Hozhoni Days was originally created by the Fort Lewis College Shalako Indian Club (“shalako” is a Zuni word meaning “dance”). The club changed its name to Wanbli Ota in the 1970s (“wanbli ota” is Lakota, meaning “many eagles”).
To see a complete schedule of events, visit http://www.fortlewis.edu/news/hozhonidays.aspx.
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