![]() |
The head man dancer is Richard DeCrane. |
The Native American Student Alliance (NASA) at Cuyamaca College is hosting its 3rd Annual Powwow 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, Feb.4, in front of the Communication Arts complex, Building B.
The free, public event aims to promote Native American heritage, with a variety of activities, including Bird Singing, a native singing style of the Kumeyaay people, and a series of competitive dances honoring the culture and traditions of local and distant tribes.
The head man dancer, an important role in any powwow, is Richard DeCrane, a member of the Navajo and Crow tribes. As the head man dancer, DeCrane will lead the dancers in brilliant regalia in the powwow’s opening procession.
DeCrane’s prominence in the powwow is profiled in the event program, from his early years on the Crow Reservation in Montana and his move to the Navajo nation, where he was raised by his maternal grandparents in Standing Rock, New Mexico. A military enlistee straight out of high school, DeCrane served for 15 years in the U.S. Navy, including as a plane captain signaling pilots on the E-2C Hawkeye radar surveillance plane during carrier takeoffs aboard the USS Carl Vincent and USS Abraham Lincoln. He was recognized for his service in the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, Iraq, and Afghanistan.