More than 1,000 Native American dancers and drummers from across North America are set to converge on Cal State San Bernardino later this month for the 30th anniversary of the San Manuel Pow Wow, a free three-day gathering that has grown into one of the Inland Empire's signature cultural events. Ahead of the milestone, performers offered a preview of what's coming at an exhibition inside Yaamava' Theater at Yaamava' Resort & Casino near Highland on September 2, filling the room with dancers, drummers and bird singers.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, the preview featured a procession of performing dancers and drummers across the casino floor, showcasing styles ranging from Southern traditional cloth dancing to the “Sweethearts” dance. Glen Begay led the exhibition, which included Cindy Dawson performing as a women's Southern style dancer, Tate Honidict as a chicken-style dancer, and Nathan Largo as a Northern style dancer. Kiara Love Flores appeared as a fancy shawl dancer, Anysa Peon Joe danced in jingle style, Jamal Isac Jones performed as a grass dancer, and David Patterson danced Southern style, all accompanied by Northern drummers and bird singers.
Three Days of Grand Entries and Competition
The full pow wow runs Friday, September 18 through Sunday, September 20, opening with an elder's blessing at 5 p.m. Friday, followed by bird singing and dancing at 6 p.m. and an 8 p.m. Grand Entry, according to News from Native California. Saturday brings Grand Entries at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., with gourd dancing and open intertribal dancing woven throughout, before a final Sunday Grand Entry at 1 p.m. precedes the announcement of contest winners.
The event carries real financial stakes for competitors. This year's contest will award more than $250,000 in total cash prizes across dance and drum competitions, per the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. Categories include Men's and Women's Dance, Couple Routines, and Teen, Junior and Youth Drum. In a practice established by event organizers, the tribe also covers all taxes on prize money, a policy Indian Country Today reported helps explain why elite drum groups and dancers keep returning year after year.
A Free Gathering Rooted in Serrano Tradition
Founded in 1996, the San Manuel Pow Wow was created as a free public gathering to showcase Indigenous cultures, traditions and resilience through intertribal song and dance, and admission has stayed free ever since. Per a news release cited in the San Bernardino Sun's reporting, the event has grown into a cultural landmark for the Inland Empire, bringing together tribal nations and the broader community. All activities will take place at Cal State San Bernardino.
The gathering also spotlights a distinctly Southern California tradition. Traditional bird singing, performed at the opening of each daily session, is associated with bird migration, creation stories and sacred places, according to SoCal Pow Wow. Bird dancers perform facing the singers in rhythmic regalia, a practice that sets the celebration apart from Plains-style gatherings elsewhere in the country.
Native Artisans Take Center Stage
The pow wow's cultural marketplace is restricted exclusively to verified Native American artists, with walk-up vendors prohibited. Native artisans will sell traditional crafts, fine art and dishes such as fry bread across the three-day event, underscoring the tribe's stated commitment to direct economic support for Native creators.
Naming, History and the Nation's Gaming Roots
The Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation formally reclaimed its ancestral Serrano name in April 2025, moving away from the federally imposed designation of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The name Yuhaaviatam translates to “People of the Pines,” connecting the nation to the pine forests of the San Bernardino Mountains. The San Manuel name itself honors ancestral leader Paakuma, known externally as Santos Manuel, while the older “Mission Indians” label dates to 1891 and is connected to Spanish colonization; the original reservation spanned 657 acres near Highland.
That history is intertwined with the tribe's economic rise. In July, the nation marked 40 years of tribal gaming operations. The nation wholly owns and operates Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Hoodline previously reported on Palms Casino programming tied to that same ownership. The pow wow's free admission and six-figure prize purses tie the nation's modern economic engine directly to the cultural continuity on display at Cal State San Bernardino this month.
