Lawrence can be described as unique in several different ways; one way is how many American Indians are represented in town.

About 150 tribes from 38 states live in Lawrence, thanks largely to Haskell Indian Nations University.

Many of those were present at the Kansas University Powwow on Saturday at Robinson Center.

“It is very unusual,” said Dustina Abrahamson, who was at the powwow. “Any other college town you go to, they have, max, 10 different tribes.”

Hundreds of people from several walks of life gathered at the center for a long afternoon of dancing, tribal chants as well as American Indian dress and food at the event sponsored by KU’s First Nations Students Association.

For her part, Abrahamson represented the Lemhi-Shoshone tribe.

“That’s what Sacagawea was,” Abrahamson, a KU graduate student, said. “We’re family descendants.”

The constant drum beat accompanied by traditional chants and songs by a group of American Indian men thundered throughout the center.

Along with the music were a series of dances, some contemporary and others from long ago.

“Each dance has a big, long story,” Abrahamson said.

Surrounding the dancer were vendors, offering various American Indian wares from clothing to jewelry.

The powwow entered its 19th year Saturday.

Jon Red Corn, a member of First Nations Students Association, said the powwow was an opportunity to bring American Indian students and people together with others.

“Generally, it’s a celebration of different tribes and dances,” he said. “A lot of universities do powwows to make students feel at home.”

Abrahamson said the event ran into some difficulties in planning when the bill to use Robinson Gymnasium increased suddenly before it started, repeating an issue from a year ago.

Nevertheless, she said, several other KU student organizations, including the Black Student Union, helped bring the event together.

“We’re very grateful for them or we would have been really overwhelmed,” she said. “We’re all related, no matter what the color, we’re all brothers and sisters.”

Saturday’s powwow marked the 19th anniversary of the event, as well as a sixth and final one for Jon Red Corn as a member of First Nations Students Association.

“I’ll be back as a patron and a visitor,” Red Corn said. “If I make enough money, I’ll be a donor. We’ll see.”