The Native American Student Association brought local members from 10 tribes to the university Wednesday night to perform and discuss their dressings.

Rene Rodriguez, a Chiricahua Apache, began with a short prayer in his native language to show that the Native American attire is not a costume, but their culture.

The event stems from the presumption that the outfits they wear are costumes.

“We want people to get away from the notion that their clothing is a costume,” said the group’s adviser Kenneth Roemer. “When people see them in their traditional dressing they call it a costume like it is a Halloween costume, but it is not.”

Native Americans wear this regalia for spiritual and ceremonial events, he said. Each item carries a significant meaning from the way it is sewn together to the colors used. Some items have been passed down through many generations. Throughout that journey the regalia becomes more significant to the owners and their tribes.

Native American attire is vivid and elaborate, taking years to complete. Members from the Caddo, Cheyenne, Navajo, Mescalero, Creek, Comanche and Chiricahua tribes each explained their special dress, explaining how the intricate details represent their tribes.

Harold Rogers of the Navajo nation performs during “This is Not a Costume,” an American Indian Regalia event, Wednesday at College Hall. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)

Tribe members explained the colors on their regalia are not specifically significant to their tribe, but the colors bear a significance to them personally.

Olivia Woodward, from the Caddo tribe, said animals are significant in the Native American tribes. She wore a purple top adorned with black and yellow ribbons. She carried a fan made of turkey feathers with a beaded handle made in the shape of a turtle. She explained that the diamond the turtles’ legs represents the four points — north, south, east and west.

Tribal dances were performed after each tribe presented its regalia. The dancers demonstrated how their tribe would perform at powwows, cleansing ceremonies, prayers and socials.

The organization’s president, Elijah Wahkinney, said they want to inform students about the culture and exhibit a piece of Native American life and background at the event.

Eugene Brown, the organization’s elder, handcrafted a flute that was raffled. Brown made the flute out of red cedar wood and burned the group’s logo on the sides.

“Regalia is not just a type of dressing it is a story,” he said.

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