Eight-year-old Ross Ike, of Omaha, Neb., spins as he dances during an inter-tribal dance at the annual KU Spring Powwow Saturday, April 11, 2015, in the ballroom of the Kansas Union.

There aren’t many American Indian students at Kansas University — to be exact they make up one-sixth of 1 percent of KU students, according to Kansas Board of Regents data.

That’s part of the reason this weekend’s KU’s spring powwow, an annual tradition for nearly 30 years, is being expanded into a daylong educational festival this year, said KU senior Landri James of Lawrence, who is a Prairie Band Potawatomi Indian and president of KU’s First Nations Student Association.

“This event is actually really important to us in terms of Native staff, faculty and — especially — student recruitment and retention,” James said. “This is a really good way for the university to showcase their diversity, equity and inclusion of the Native American culture.”

The 2016 KU Powwow and Indigenous Dance and Culture Festival will be Saturday at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive. Admission is free.

Eight-year-old Ross Ike, of Omaha, Neb., spins as he dances during an inter-tribal dance at the annual KU Spring Powwow Saturday, April 11, 2015, in the ballroom of the Kansas Union.

In addition to workshops and food, the day will feature a matinee and an evening powwow.

Each will kick off with a grand entry featuring dancers in full regalia, followed by competitive dances in various categories for men, women and children, said Melissa Peterson, a Navajo Indian and staff adviser for KU’s First Nations Student Association.

Competitive dancers from different tribes will come from all across the country, Peterson said.

William Mendoza, executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education and a Haskell alumnus, is expected to speak during the afternoon, Peterson said.

This year, with the event’s new focus on education, partners in the Powwow and Indigenous Culture Festival include the Lied Center, KU’s Spencer Museum of Art, the KU Office of Diversity and Equity, the KU Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Haskell Indian Nations University Cultural Center and Museum.

James said she hopes the event will help share Indian culture with the community, and provide a chance for Native Americans to learn more about and embrace their own customs.

“Personally it’s difficult for me to find a healthy balance between the dominant culture and my culture,” James said. “This is really good.”

If you go

The 2016 KU Powwow and Indigenous Culture Festival is Saturday at the Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive. Admission is free. Schedule:

11 a.m. — Doors open

Noon — Informational session on powwow etiquette

1 p.m. — First powwow grand entry, followed by competitive dances throughout the afternoon

1:30-6 p.m. — Workshops in beading, quill work, tribal songs and other Indian culture. Featured speakers.

6 p.m. — Second powwow etiquette session

7 p.m. — Second powwow grand entry, followed by competitive dances

7:30 p.m. — Indigenous film screening

American Indian food and crafts will be sold throughout the day. For more details visit lied.ku.edu.