How A Virtual Powwow Helped Heal A Spirit Broken During The Pandemic

It's powwow season — the time of year when across the country, Native American tribes should be getting together to celebrate their culture with food, dancing, singing and drumming. Kay Oxendine is a member of the Haliwa Saponi Tribe in North Carolina.

"Every year we know it's coming; like, the birds sing differently," she told NPR. "It's almost like spring arrives when the powwow does."

Oxendine is an author and educator and the mistress of ceremonies for a number of powwows in the eastern U.S. It's a job she loves: telling stories to the crowd and introducing the dancers, singers and drummers. She was set to be the first woman to emcee her tribe's powwow, scheduled for Friday, April 17, to Sunday April 19, at the Tribal Ceremonial Grounds in Hollister, N.C.