UND Today

University of North Dakota’s Official News Source

VIDEOS: Take Time Out to learn more about Time Out Week, Wacipi powwow

Video series on UND’s Time Out Wacipi tradition takes place of in-person celebration this year

The following is the text of President Armacost’s message in the above video:

Hi, I’m Andy Armacost, president of the University of North Dakota.

Every spring, UND celebrates Time Out Week and Wacipi. Wacipi is the Lakota/Dakota word for powwow.

Time Out Week is a celebration of indigenous people and culture.

As you know, UND rests on the ancestral lands of indigenous people. It’s important for us to honor their spirit and culture. Time Out Week and Wacipi is our way of building our relations with the First Nations of North Dakota.

Time Out Week has traditionally included a powwow, which brings people together from the entire region. It is considered a celebration of life, a gathering of family and friends. It includes dancing, singing, spirituality and the beauty of life.

This year, we are unable to hold Time Out Week and the powwow. As you know, we’ve always made decisions about campus events based on safety and CDC guidelines. While our campus and community have made progress, there are still risks with large-scale events.

To keep the spirit of Time Out Week alive, we produced a series of videos that celebrate these special events on campus. We invited several people to share their perspectives on Time Out Wacipi.

These videos include historic information, a celebration of culture, and a performance by the Thundering Bear Drum Group.

I want to thank all the participants who contributed to these videos: Dr. Leigh Jeanotte, Hannah Balderas, Dr. Cynthia Lindquist and the Thundering Bear Drum Group, which was organized by Dr. Daniel Henry.

The videos in this series are being released in May. Next year, we plan to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Wacipi in person.

Until then, you can experience our virtual Time Out Wacipi through our video series.

Editor’s note: The video series is below.