A tradition that has inspired friendship and joy among the Native American community for hundreds of years is now open to all members of the Palouse.

The Native American student organization Ku-Ah-Mah will host their annual Round Dance held at the Schweitzer Engineering Event Center on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.

“The round dance is a dance for all cultures and community members to share in,” said Shae Gamble, Ku-Ah-Mah chair.

Historically the Round Dance has acted as a courting activity to encourage men and women to dance together, Gamble said. This is the only Native American dance ritual that is not segregated, and was also an exclusive ritual performed only with members of the same tribe.

Round Dance has since transformed into an all-encompassing activity meant to unite members of every Native American tribe as well as the community at large, she said.

“We want the community to be exposed to our culture,” Gamble said.

At this year’s Round Dance, Iron Horse, a tribe from Coeur D’Alene, Idaho will perform slow, but upbeat tempo songs on hand drums. As the resonating beat of the drum plays, attendees will also be encouraged to join hands to form a large circle as they move clockwise stepping to the beat of the drum in the center, Ward said.

To keep with tradition, a complementary Native American venison stew will be served during the event.

This dance is known as a friendship dance, but it serves many other purposes like forming new bonds with members and accepting as well as highlighting cultural differences, Gamble said.

“It’s about embracing each other’s differences,” she said.

Ryan Ward, Ku-Ah-Mah co-chair, said participating in Ku-Ah-Mah has allowed him to reconnect with his Cowlitz tribal culture.

Ward hopes the dance will foster a deeper understanding of Native American cultural values and traditions for attendees.

“For people who haven’t experienced native culture before, it will give them a real feel of what our culture is really like,” he said.

With a little more than 10 members, Ku-Ah-Mah hopes to develop cultural awareness among WSU students with inclusive events such as the Round Dance, Gamble said.

Ku-Ah-Mah represents eight different tribes from around the nation, including Cherokee, Cowlitz and Tlingit.

“The Native American community is very small here, so it’s important to have events that show we are represented and that we have Native American students,” Gamble said.

For Ward, this year’s Round Dance will unite and keep the culture alive.