Isabella Garcia, left, and Roxi Bark, co-chair the Carolina Indian Circle Powwow on Saturday, March 7 at UNC. (BROOKLYN BROWN/One Feather photos)
By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Roxi Bark, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), valedictorian of Cherokee High School Class of 2024, and a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), co-chaired the annual Carolina Indian Circle Powwow at UNC on Saturday, March 7, in Woollen Gym, with co-chair and UNC junior Isabella Garcia, who is a member of the Seminole Tribe of Florida and a descendant of the EBCI raised in Tsisqwohi (Birdtown). Garcia is a graduate of Swain Co. High School.
The Carolina Indian Circle is the Native American Student Group for undergraduate students at UNC. The group hosts several student-led events throughout the year, including the annual powwow. Bark and Garcia were elected as the powwow co-chairs by their peers.
“Stepping into the role of Powwow Co-Chairs, Roxi and I wanted to give back to the Circle as much as it was giving to us, but knew we had huge shoes to fill and a lot of hard work ahead of us,” Garcia said.
The theme for the 2026 powwow was “Fanning the Flame”.
Isabella Garcia gives the opening welcome at the 2026 Carolina Indian Circle Powwow in Woollen Gym on Saturday, March 7.
Garcia commented, “With our theme, ‘Fanning the Flame’, we weren’t just commemorating almost 40 years worth of the Carolina Indian Circle’s legacy of hosting the largest student-run Powwow in North Carolina, but actively recognizing and honoring our ancestors for their resilience and sacrifice. As descendants, we fulfill our responsibility or ‘fan the flame’ of our ancestors through celebration and practice of our traditions and culture, ensuring that the next seven generations inherit that same fire and spirit from the ones who came before.”
Bark commented, “I am extremely grateful and honored to have been granted the opportunity to organize our Carolina Indian Circle’s biggest event of the year. As last year was my first CIC Powwow as a Freshman, it was my most memorable experience at UNC as a whole. Although I knew the importance and the amount of pressure that comes with this exciting event, not just for UNC but for the native community as a whole, I wanted to gain the experience of what it is like to organize an event to this degree and by doing so, I have gained much more respect for our student-led events. Being one of the few EBCI student representatives in the CIC, I wanted to connect and educate myself on tribal nations east of Cherokee. I feel it’s important to make those connections and become part of a community when you lack the distance from your own, and powwows are a great source to achieve that. I want to thank everyone who helped support Bella and I as we planned throughout the year up until the Woollen doors closed for the day. I especially want to thank the Carolina Indian Circle for trusting us with such a precious event and through that trust, I have gained lifelong knowledge and growth.”
The powwow included several Indigenous art and food vendors, and a full day of dancing including a “Battle of the Blues” men’s versus women’s blue regalia special.
Students who attended the powwow earned a Campus Life Experience (CLE) credit toward their degree requirements.
