Hindsley, 49, said he has become a well-known name on the powwow circuit after winning many titles. About 20 years ago, he was named to be a world champion traditional dancer.

“Everybody knows me here,” Hindsley said. “A lot of the dancers and singers here travel to other powwows I go to, too.

“It’s my way of life.”

The North American Indigenous Student Organization, or NAISO, hosted the Pow-Wow of Love, which featured dancers and vendors who are not strangers to the powwow scene.

David Fornham, 60, a vendor from Ontario who calls himself a “one-man traveling show,” brought handmade leather sculptures and hand drums to sell during his second NAISO powwow.

“There are less people this year, which means less money for me,” Fornham said. “Every show you go to is a gamble.”

Heather-Ashley Bishop, a co-chairwoman of the event, said NAISO won’t know if there were fewer people in attendance at the 2008 powwow because it takes a few days to figure out the total number of participants.

Bishop said she didn’t notice a smaller turnout, but said there were less vendors invited this year to minimize competition and ensure quality goods.

“We had the vendors complete applications and send us photos of their merchandise so we could pick who comes,” Bishop said. “We would rather have quality than quantity.”

The idea to invite less vendors had no effect on other aspects of the powwow as the number of dancers who competed remained about 300, said Melissa Beard, NAISO’s press representative.

“Ever since the 1920s, the majority of powwows have become contests,” said Beard, a journalism junior. “They turned into a source of entertainment rather than just having a traditional and cultural purpose.”

Regalia, which can be a dancer’s feathers, jewelry or any other part of their traditional American Indian outfit worn to powwows, is an important and costly part of the culture, she said.

“People spend thousands of dollars on regalia,” Beard said. “It’s a big part of the competition and how well dancers follow drum beats.”