Grass Dance Special Honoring Jonathan Windy Boy

Experience the Jonathan Windy Boy Grass Dance Special at the Cabazon Indio Pow Wow 2025. Filmed by Aaron Tsosie of Indigenous Event Recordings, capturing a powerful moment honoring a respected dancer at one of California’s most beloved pow wows.
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Big shout-out to my friend Native Hustle on Instagram & TikTok for providing the thumbnail image. I was hoping for either a shot of the winner of the special or a wide-angle photo of all the dancers, and he came through for me. I’m always grateful for the photographers I’ve met on the pow wow trail — it’s good to have friends in the circle who support each other’s work.
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Ya’at’éeh! Aaron Tsosie here — the person behind the camera!
Before we get into this special, I want to mention that this year at Indio Pow Wow I filmed only a few moments instead of the full event. I’ve been doing my best to reach out to pow wow committees ahead of time to ask about media badges and filming permissions for YouTube. I missed the window to contact Indio’s committee this year, even though I filmed last year with no issues.

I arrived early on Friday — an hour before Bird Singing and four hours before Grand Entry — and spoke with someone from the committee. They let me know that filming with video cameras requires prior approval from the tribe. Photography and cell phone videos were fine, but full camera coverage needed authorization in advance.

So instead of filming the entire weekend like I normally do, I respectfully captured only a few moments here and there.

This video features the Grass Dance Special held in honor of Jonathan Windy Boy — an unexpected and beautiful moment not listed on the flyer.
I was grateful to capture it and share it here for our community.

According to the Indio Pow Wow Facebook page:
“The Cabazon Band of Cahuilla Indians will host their annual powwow at the Special Events Center at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino… Admission is free.”
They said it perfectly — this pow wow is truly a family-friendly and welcoming gathering.

For this video, I stripped my rig down to the camera body, one lens, and a microphone — all handheld. I was either kneeling or sitting criss-cross on the arena floor, and I’m really happy with how the footage turned out.

Ahe’hee’ to everyone who supports the work I do.
My channel is extremely niche, but I’m passionate about documenting Indigenous events with respect and care. I fund all my own travel, gear, gas, and lodging, and I’ve never asked anyone to pay me for filming their dances or their families. My goal is to make this a full-time career one day, and I appreciate every person who takes the time to watch, comment, and share these videos.

As my channel grows, I’ve been thinking about the best way to support this work. When I reach 10,000 subscribers, I’m considering stepping away from monetization and possibly creating a Patreon so community members who want to support the channel can do so directly.

Until then, I’ll keep showing up, filming what I can, and sharing these moments for everyone to enjoy.
Ahe’hee’ for being here.
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