Tribal gathering will include tribute
The annual Pow-wow in Winterhaven not only will celebrate Native American art and culture this weekend but serve as remembrance to a former superintendent of the San Pasqual Valley Unified School District.
A portion of the program for the Pow-wow that begins Friday is dedicated to David E. Bealer, who died last June following a headon collision on Interstate 8 in Yuma.
“When he was our superintendent, he was always there to help and support us in whatever we did,” said Alyssa Menta, president of a student group at San Pasqual High School helping to organize the dedication. “He was probably one of the best superintendents we ever had.”
The Pow-wow is organized and hosted by the Quechan Tribe and Strong Hearts Native Society. The high school football field, 676 Baseline Road, will again serve as the site of the three-day event that showcases traditional dances, music, arts and cuisine of tribes from throughout the Southwest.
Last year, visitors would browse among about 60 booths offering jewelry, painting, weaving, basketry, ceramics and other Indian arts and crafts for sale, and Faron Owl, coordinator of the annual event, expects this weekend’s Pow-wow to bring together a similar number of vendors.
At least 10 booths, he added, will serve varia-
tions of fry bread, a favorite attraction among visitors, plus stews and other native cuisine.
On Friday, booths will open to the public at 6 p.m., and the Pow-wow then gets under way formally at 7 as tribal dancers, singers and other performers will file onto the football field in a ceremony known as the Grand Entry, said Owl. Friday’s festivities will conclude around 10:30 p.m.
On Saturday, booths open at about 11 a.m., and then the first of two Grand Entries of the day will open festivities at 1 p.m., he said. After a break, the Pow-wow continues with the second Grand Entry at 7 p.m.
On Sunday, the final day of the Pow-wow, the Grand Entry takes place at noon.
Admission to the Pow-
wow is $7 for adults and $4 for youths 11 to 17. Children 10 and under are admitted for free. A $10 weekend pass also is available for purchase.
This weekend marks the 37th year of the Pow-wow, which started thanks in part to the initiative of a group of students in the school district who wanted to stage an event to help preserve Native American traditions. This year, students in the district wanted
to do something to honor Bealer, said Menta, so they decided to dedicate one of the dance competitions to the superintendent.
Bealer, joined the San Pasqual Valley Unified School District in 2011, he served for 22 years in the Navy, including a stint as a naval aviator, before beginning a second career as an educator. Earning a teaching credential at Fresno State University, he taught for five years,
then became a principal and earned a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California.
He was killed on his way to work in Winterhaven when his vehicle collided with another vehicle that was traveling the wrong way on I-8.
“He supported us in anything we did,” Menta said.