In the heart of winter, a warming circle of friendship and cultural unity is planned for Shepherdstown. The Red Hoop Pow-wow will provide Shepherd University students and the surrounding community a unique opportunity to experience the spirit generated by this traditional Native American gathering. On Feb. 6, from noon until 6 p.m. in the Shepherd University Student Center on N. King St., the great drum will sound and an array of dancers in colorful regalia will affirm their unbroken link with the proud customs of their ancestors.

The public is invited for the music, dancing, and food. Shepherd students enjoy free admission; the adult public entry fee is $5 and children attend for $3.

This All Nations pow-wow, presented and organized by the Brown and Winters families of Wanblee, SD, is the second visit to the university campus, following an event held in 2011. Dancers and singers are expected to arrive from several states, representing many Native American tribes. The Medicine Horse Singers will be at the host drum. The head man will be Charlie Under Baggage. The head woman will be Jennifer Under Baggage.

Reed Brown, Jr. is the organizer and arena director for the Red Hoop Pow-wow. Mr. Brown, an Oglala Lakota, is a frequent visitor to Shepherdstown and has family connections in the area. Raised on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, his ancestors include the famed Sioux chief, Red Cloud, the medicine man, Chips, and the Moytoy line of Cherokee chiefs.

“Mitakuye oyasin” is a phrase from the Lakota language that translates into English as “all my relations,” and expresses an interconnected worldview of oneness, a spirit that event planners hope to share with all visitors to the pow-wow.