For many of us who grew up on the Peninsula and have spent decades connected to the local community, the Stanford Powwow has become much more than just an annual event. It’s a tradition. A gathering. A celebration of Native American culture, family, storytelling, music, food, and heritage that has been woven into the fabric of Stanford and the surrounding Peninsula community for over half a century.
One of the highlights — and let’s be honest, every great festival involves food — was the incredible lineup of food booths throughout the event. The standout favorite for many attendees was the famous bison fry bread taco, locally referred to as “MISSIKWAA KKEETAHEEHI.” That booth had a line almost the entire day, and after one bite, it was easy to understand why. The combination of rich bison meat layered into hot fry bread was a treat.
Referencing photos A, B, and C, this was the Taos Cafe booth — an incredible family operation made up of the mother, father, grandparents, son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren all working together side by side. While they all maintain full-time jobs during the week, they travel together on selected weekends throughout the Powwow circuit, bringing people together through food, tradition, and family. Their bison burger served on fresh Native American fry bread was absolutely outstanding — so good I ended up crushing two of them myself.
In a world that moves incredibly fast, events like the Stanford Powwow remind us it was a truly solid day on The Farm & perhaps even more meaningful taking place on Mother’s Day weekend. something powerful about watching the female dancers move with such pride, grace, and strength while surrounded by generations of families honoring tradition together.
The spirit of the Powwow naturally echoed many of the same values we celebrate on Mother’s Day — family, heritage, resilience, nurturing, and the passing down of wisdom from one generation to the next. Seeing mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and families gathered together through dance, storytelling, and culture created a reminder that traditions survive because of the strength and love carried forward by women and family alike
Nino Gaetano
TheGaetanoGroup.com
Leave a Reply