PRIDE IN Native American heritage is catching. Many Native American tribal government offices have seen an increase in people tracing their native roots. Another way Native Americans celebrate their heritage is through powwows. A powwow is a Native American celebration of people coming together to share traditions, food, song, and dance. Originally a custom of the Plains tribes, powwows are now held throughout North America—in auditoriums or on county fairgrounds. People may come from far away to attend a powwow lasting several days.
Many annual celebrations take place, from Labor Day festivities and fairs to remembrance activities for the Trail of Tears. Pan-Indian celebrations such as the Red Earth Cultural Festival and the Gathering of Nations draw large crowds from all over North America. The Gathering of Nations is an annual event held each April on the University of New Mexico campus in Albuquerque. Started in 1983, the Gathering of Nations promotes the culture and traditions of Native American communities. Activities include powwows, a marketplace, and a Miss Indian World contest. Some tribal powwows are limited to tribal members or by invitation only. Many other powwows are intertribal, meaning they are open to all tribes and nonnative people as well.
A circle is the center of the powwow. Singers and drummers sit in the middle of the circle while people dance clockwise around them. Dancers of all ages, from very young children to the elders, enjoy going to the circle. The drum in the center of the circle is sometimes compared to the heartbeat. Every powwow begins with its “heartbeat” before singers begin singing about war, honor, and family. Songs are shared in a native language or as “vocables,” syllables and chants easily taught to people of other tribes.
The “Grand Entry” signals the beginning of the dancing. Dancers enter the arena, following the Head Man Dancer and the Head Lady Dancer, people chosen by the host of the powwow for their abilities and personal qualities. Every dance has a purpose or name. Some dances are limited to certain families, tribes, or a type of dance. “Fancy dancing” is when men, and occasionally women, dance dressed in colorful tribal regalia that may include headdresses. Intricate tribal designs of ribbons, feathers, and beads swing as a dancer twirls and stomps at a frenzied pace, feet or even knees touching the ground quickly. The jingling of bells or an occasional war cry is occasionally overheard. Even as a spectator, the sight of fancy dancing takes your breath away.
Other types of dancing include “grass dancers” whose clothing is decorated with streaming yarn. Women dancers may participate in the “jingle dress dance” with cloth dresses decorated with tin cones that make a tinkling sound when they move. Sometimes dancers compete against each other in dance competitions.
Everyone is invited to dance during intertribal dancing. Participants dressed in street clothes or traditional buckskin or colorful cloth outfits take steady steps clockwise around the circle. Feet quickly adapt to the beat of the drum. Women carry shawls either over their shoulders or folded over their arms and held in front.
Powwows often include “give-aways” as part of the celebration. The host of the event or the families of the Head Dancers give gifts to honored people.
World History
