Westwood High School Pow Wow 2026 | Mesa Arizona (Day 1)

Yá’át’ééh! Aaron Tsosie here—the person behind the camera! Welcome to the 20th Annual Westwood High School Social Pow Wow in Mesa, Arizona! Over this past school year, I’ve had the honor of being brought on as an official photo/video vendor by the school’s Native American Club. I’ve come out a few times to take photos for the club and even filmed their winter round dance—so this pow wow was something I’ve been looking forward to all year. Fun Fact, 90% of all the images in the pow wow handbook were taken by me! First off, huge shoutout to Westwood High School for making this a two-day pow wow. That’s a big step in growing a yearly event, and who knows—maybe one day this turns into a full three-day contest pow wow. This year, the pow wow was moved to one of the softball/baseball practice fields, which is closer to the school. The main parking lot west of the football stadium made access really easy. The parking lot south of the stadium, that’s also where the food vendors and porta-potties were located. Now—I do want to keep it real. There were only six porta-potties available for everyone attending, and that was the only bathroom option. I even checked with a school maintenance worker about using the indoor restrooms nearby, but they weren’t open to the public. With the amount of people who showed up, that was definitely a downside for this year’s event. That said, everything else was honestly great. The sound system was solid, the new location made the pow wow more accessible, and the field being flat with real grass made it perfect for setting up canopies. There was also a big turnout from the local community, and I really felt that support throughout the day. Even as an official vendor, I always try to give an honest review—and while I can’t give this year a full gold star because of the bathroom situation, I still had an amazing time being out there. This pow wow felt comfortable, welcoming, and I truly felt at home. Stick around for Part 2 (Saturday) coming soon! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahe’hee’! 📢 Support My Work 🎯 Help me keep documenting Indigenous events — send a tip via Venmo: @imaarontoasty 💌 Want to support long-term? Consider joining my future Patreon for early access & behind-the-scenes content (coming at 10k subscribers!) 📸 Follow My Journey 🎥 Subscribe for more Indigenous event coverage:    / @indigenouseventrecordings   📷 Best photos:   / indigenouseventrecordings   🎶 Short clips & livestreams: https://www.tiktok.com/@indigenouseve... 📖 Updates & highlights: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... 📩 Business Inquiries For collaborations or media inquiries, email: [email protected] 📄 Content Use Feel free to reuse my content — just credit and tag me!