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The term "Powwow" comes from
the Algonquin language. It was originally a spring event to
celebrate the seasonal renewal of new life. People would gather to
sing, dance, renew old friendships and form new ones. Powwows had
religious significance as opportunities to hold naming and honoring
ceremonies.
The circle is an important
symbol to Native Americans. The dancers are in the center, the drums
and the audience circle around them and the concessions surround the
gathering. The Powwow brings the circle of people closer to family,
friends, and the comfort and vitality of their culture.
The grand entry, the parade of
dancers, opens each session of Powwow dancing. The eagle staff is
carried into the circle, followed by the American, state and tribal
flags. Title holders from tribal pageants and invited dignitaries
are next. The men follow traditional dancers first, jingle dress
dancers, junior boys, then junior girls follow in the same order.
Last come the little boys and girls.
The dancers perform clockwise
around the arbor. Their outfits and their steps let the audience and
other participants know who they are and what they can do.
After the grand entry, there is
a flag song, then an invocation blessing the gathering. The eagle
staff, signifying the First Nation, is positioned above the American
flag and tied to the pole in the center, the dancing then begins.
Songs are created and performed
for different events, such as grand entries, dance categories and
honoring ceremonies. While they differ in tempo, words, and
emotions, all Powwow songs follow a similar structure.
There are songs for all
occasions: honor songs, veteran songs, and war party songs. Song
groups sing only their own songs, while others borrow and perform
their on as well.
The drum is more that a musical
instrument to those who own and play it. It
has a life of its own and its own powerful spirit. Gifts are made to
it and some have their own sacred medicine pipes. The drum
symbolizes the heartbeat or the powerful medicine of thunder. Some
drums are handed down in the family, sometimes donated to a group.
The term "drum" also refers to the drum group itself.
The men's traditional dance
began when war parties would return to the village and "dance out"
the story of a battle and when hunters would dance their story of
tracking prey. The outfit is subdued in color, often decorated with
bead and quill work, the circular bustle of eagle feather "spikes"
point upward, representing a channel between the great spirit and
all things on the earth. Movements imitate the life journey of birds
and animals.
The men's grass dance outfits
feature colorful fringes which replace the grasses originally tucked
into belts, many dancers wear the hair roach, the crow-belt, and the
eagle bone whistle, originally emblems of the Omaha Society.
Dancers keep their heads moving
either up and down with the beat of the drum nodding quickly several
times to each beat, or moving from side to side. This keeps the
roach crest feathers spinning, a sign of a good dancer.
The men's fancy dance uses
brilliantly colored feather bustles and is performed by boys and
young men. Based on the standard "double step" of the traditional
and grass dances. It deviates with fancy footwork, increased speed,
acrobatic steps and motions, and varied body movements. It is
freestyle. Dancers must follow the changing beat of the drum and
stop when the music does with both feet on the ground.
The women's fancy shawl dance
outfit consists of a decorative knee-length cloth dress, beaded
moccasins with matching leggings, fancy shawl, and jewelry. The
style, movement, especially spinning, footwork is the chief element.
The jingle dance is performed
by women wearing outfits covered with hundreds of metal cones or
jingles.
In the intertribal dance,
everyone, including spectators, are welcomed to dance. No regalia is
needed and is not a particular kind of dance.
The eagle feather is sacred to
most Native Americans. When one falls from a dancers' outfit, the
Powwow stops and a ceremony is performed to restore the feather's
lost power for good. Four traditional dancers dance around the
feather from four directions and usually attack four times to
retrieve it. Four is a sacred number for all tribes.
The giveaway is thought to be
universal among Native Americans. The Native American Society holds
that a person being honored should provide gifts. It is said that
the chief was the poorest man in the village. Charged with the
welfare of his people, honored by them, the chief gave away
blankets, horses, food and whatever else his people might need.
Today, giveaways by people being honored or in honor of someone else
are common in Powwows.
Follow this link to see a poem written
by my father-in-law, he says was inspired by my drawings.
"Dancer at the Powwow"
by Bear
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