By Roy Cook

February 25, 2006 the Grossmont College 18th annual celebration of life brings together the urban and rural tribal population. The College institution provides the facility. The American Indian community provides the heart and spirituality. Traditional Tribal song sustains and carries the culture.

Randy Edmonds is the Emcee. There are many fine speeches and recognitions of past support along with good reports of successful scholarship fund raising efforts. Grossmont College is high in the rankings for Community Colleges that grant Indian Students the Associate of Arts degree.

American Indian Warriors Association is the Honored Color Guard. AIWA Vice President, Jerry Starnes is honored during the Gourd dance. Joseph Red Bead is the Head Gourd Dancer.

Each of the pow wows held in San Diego County has its own special emotion and appeal. Those who have attended most of them will readily agree. There is always a lot of good Southern Plains tradition to enjoy. The GCC event is always the same and yet always different. Tom Gamboa related, “This Pow Wow has always had a theme of 'Indians Helping Indians'. The college provides not a cent purposely and with major budget cuts now it would be impossible. The only thing they provide is the facility. Viejas and Barona Casinos fund the Pow Wow.
The objective of this Pow Wow is to raise funds for the American Indian Scholarship Fund. Which pays for the tuition of every Indian that attends Grossmont College. Being such an ethnic specific scholarship we felt that the money to fund this scholarship should come from within the Indian community hence the 'Indians Helping Indians' theme.”

This report will be incomplete without recognizing the outstanding quality of the Host Drums and the superb singers that make the Grossmont Pow wow the Intertribal success. Red Tipi Singers: Daron and Glen Ahhitty joined by their younger brother Walter is the invited Southern Host Drum. Walter flew in from Oklahoma to be a part of this commitment of the Red Tipi Singers. They brought forth hours of gourd dance and family songs.

Whitecloud Singers are the invited Northern Host Drum. Also: Dancing Cloud Singers, Bear Springs, Bear Heel and the Green River Singers put their fine Northern songs in the air.

Our appreciation for a fine, festive, fun, Indian times event goes to the GCC pow wow organizing committee: Vickie Matheney and the faculty advisor: Tom Gamboa, Thank you, Aho, Mehan