Nicole Hockings said she exposed her son to her Native American culture at a early age, and that this is important for all Native American families.

“Some Native kids grow up with parents who don’t show them the culture,” she said.

Hockings was one of the dancers Saturday at the N.A.T.I.O.N.S. Powwow. N.A.T.I.O.N.S. is the Native American student group on campus. The annual event, now in its 11th year, draws a large crowd and showcases Native American dancing and vendors with Native American merchandise.

Hockings stressed the importance of the powwow to exposing people to the culture. Her mother, Charlotte, also a dancer at the powwow, said there are hurdles Native American people need to overcome.

Charlotte teaches first grade in Milwaukee and said Minocqua High School has problems with racism directed at the Native American people, which leads to violence. Some of the racism even comes from the teachers at the school.

“If I asked how racist they are, they would be in denial,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte is part of the Intercultural Leadership Incentive program, which actively deals with problems by answering questions about racism.

“We’re trying to do something that nobody thinks can succeed,” Charlotte said. She said people do not believe her group can solve a problem that has gone on for generations.

Charlotte’s husband John Hockings, the head male dancer who performed at the powwow, said the school system in general teaches wrong information about Native Americans.

Often, teachers who are not fully versed in the culture teach what people have accepted as the truth of the Native American history, John said.

“They would rather have things the way they are,” John said.

America is in a “massive state of denial in how it treated African-Americans, Hispanics and Chinese” as well as the Native American people, John said.

Thanksgiving was not a big celebration between pilgrims and Native Americans, John said. He said it was a massacre of 600 Paqua Native Americans. The pilgrims made up the story in order to get more people from Europe to be less afraid of Native Americans and come to America.

“They have to start telling the truth,” John said.