It's the fourth annual Powwow held at Wausau East, but this celebration has roots that go much deeper.

"When I was a little girl they had an annual pow-wow here, but it just stopped and nobody knew why," said Nicole Larson, a member of the Indigenous Circle of Nations (ICON), parent advisory board. So ICON decided to bring it back. They want kids to learn about their heritage and be able to share it with everybody in the community.

"Really what it is, is a celebration of life. We're always taught to never come to a pow-wow with negative feelings or thoughts, and it's always a place to come with a good heart… The goal of our powwow, the ICON pow-wow, is basically to bridge the gap of cultures... Ending racism is a huge, huge goal for just about every culture in the world," said Larson.

"It's a fun family tradition,” said Kearstin Rose Comstock, a young Ojibwe dancer from Wausau, “But most of all I've been watching other people doing like grass dancing and jingle, and all those other kinds, so I've been actually learning!"

The ICON parent advisory board invites students and parents of all cultures to attend their annual pow-wow to experience some native traditions up close, and take away a new understanding of centuries old celebrations.

“Even if they’re not an Indian or anything or a native, they should just see what it's all about!" said Kearstin.

Written By: Kailey Burton (Source)