PowWows.com was started in 1996 by Paul Gowder. Over the past 25 years, its mission has remained the same: to provide a place where everyone can experience and explore Native American culture.
I attended my first pow wow in the early 90s. As a graduate student, I wanted to teach myself HTML, so I started building the first pages that would become PowWows.com. I first wrote about my experiences learning about pow wows, beadwork, ribbonwork, and more. And to my surprise, the site started reaching people from various tribes, states—even countries. When I first started building the site, the goal was to share information and connect people.
My goal has always been to help everyone learn and experience Native culture. I believe the more people that appreciate the culture the more support Native people will have.
“People protect what they love, they love what they understand and they understand what they are taught.” – Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Today, PowWows.com is a top destination for Native American culture, interviews, live videos, events, and more. PowWows.com continues to elevate Native voices and highlight issues that matter most in indigenous communities.
PowWows.com Staff
Currently, PowWows.com has two full-time employees and several independent contractors, including writers, video producers, live streamers, and others. This team includes several enrolled Native American individuals.
Live Stream Production Team
- Mike Gabbard
Delaware Tribe of Indians, Northeastern Oklahoma - Delores Gabbard
Sioux Valley Dakota Nation, Manitoba - Ryan McDonnell
Seminole Descent
PowWows.com in the Community
PowWows.com is proud to give back to the community through several nonprofit partnerships.
PowWows.com funded a $5,000 scholarship with the American Indian College Fund, a sponsorship for Professional Disc Golfer Leah Tsinajinnie, as well as donations to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. In 2023, PowWows.com partnered with the Paul McBeth Foundation to help develop 2 disc golf courses in indigenous communities.
Cultural Advisor
PowWows.com is advised by Native Pride Productions and Larry Yazzie, providing PowWows.com cultural insight and perspective. Native Pride Productions is also advising PowWows.com on perspective issues and needs in the Native American community.
About Paul Gowder
Paul Gowder lives in South Carolina, where he has worked as an Information Technology Project Manager for the State of South Carolina for over 25 years. He has been an active member of the pow wow community since the early 90s, as a dancer, organizer, committee member, and judge. Gowder is a descendant of Native American relatives on his father’s side.
The following pages include information on pow wow dance styles and other pow wow information. The descriptions are only ideals. At pow wows today many dancers are not wearing exactly what is describe in these pages. These pages are not meant to be “rules” for what to wear. There is no right or wrong way. Dancers add their own style and taste to their outfits. This is what makes their outfits unique. These pages are just basic information about the different dances.
I have gathered this information from various sources. These pages are an attempt to share with others some of the information I have learned and been given over the years. I have received many wonderful emails from people, and I thank everyone for visiting these pages. If you have information that you would like to add to the pages please let me know.
I have presented the information on the pages about Native American pow wows to share with others. I am not trying to present this as the definitive facts on pow wows. Different areas have different traditions and customs. I am also not trying to present myself as an expert. I am only sharing information that I have heard or been given over the years.
I hope you enjoy these pages. Please let me know your comments.
The following people and groups have contributed to information to me and these pages. I thank all of them for their teaching.
Carolina Indian Seminar
Kelli Gowder
George Hoyt
Jim Ross
Scott Alexander
James Campbell
Leslie Carpenter
Michael Hartnett
Louis Garcia
Paula Geese
Linda Holey
Robert Castleton
Drew Dowling
Dick Caldwell
Jonathan Holmes
Carl Miller
Jon Norris
Midlands Intertribal Empowerment Group
White Bear Society
Millard Clark
Dennis Zotigh