[SPOKANE, Wash.]— Spokane Community College Workforce Transition Specialist Mark Ramos has been dancing at pow-wows since he was four years old, but this time, things felt a little different.
In August, Ramos headlined for the Suriname Indigenous People’s Day and danced in front of President of Suriname Chan Santokhi and Vice President of Suriname Ronnie Brunswijk.
Ramos has spent a good chunk of his life dancing around the world as a member of the Coeur D’Alene tribe performing in countries like Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, but never in front of such high-ranking officials.
“Well, it was odd for me because I've never been nervous like that,” Ramos said. “I dance at powwows all the time as a Traditional Dancer... so I chose to do a Crow Hop dance and use Black Bear who is a drum group from Canada when I danced for the Presidents.”
He first came across the opportunity by chance when his friend Eric Van Straten introduced Ramos to Waldi Van Kogeleberg at a cultural event in Amsterdam in 2013.
“Waldi was originally born in Suriname now, which is in South America,” Ramos said. “The Dutch colonized Suriname. I think he told me he was 10 or 12 years old when he went left and moved to the Netherlands. He still lives there, but his family still lives in Suriname.”
Ramos' dancing has taken him all over the world where he has learned about other indigenous community’s experiences and how to bring awareness to shared experiences across the world.
“I learned some similarities on sovereign issues that are happening in North America and South America,” Ramos said.
His knowledge about indigenous cultures on an international scale continues to grow through his travels.
He is planning to return to Panama and possibly Brazil next year to dance at an event like the one in Suriname, only this time, he will also be a guest speaker raising discussion around sovereignty issues that pertain to North and South America, including global climate change issues.
In October, Ramos will be the new Indigenous Outreach and Support Manager at Spokane Falls Community College.