BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American Cherokee of Georgia Spring Pow-Wow

If you'll be in the South GA or Northeast FL area, April 7th through April 9th, this is a great event to attend. Family oriented, free admission, wonderful vendors, tasty food, and friendly folks.

The Cherokee of Georgia Tribal Grounds are in St. George, GA, at the edge of the Okeefenokee Swamp. I've been going through photos for the Tribal historian and stumbled on a program for the 25th Anniversary Spring Pow-Wow dated 1998. We couldn't remember how many years we have been attending, but it's at least a dozen.

The new Admin/Educational building will be completed and probably dedicated that weekend. It's been so exciting to help with this huge project the Tribe has worked for years to accomplish

Hi lcp012586, what a lovely picture and thanks for the info

We're heading out this morning for Pow-Wow. With all the preparations, I'm almost too tired to be excited. Both the car and the camper will be packed to capacity and neither of them got washed this week, except for the rain.

Our very dirty, little rag-tagged caravan will be off to the Tribal Grounds and the weather forecast is most excellent. Hoping to have pictures and stories to share upon our return.

I can vividly visualize your little caravan, lcp. I am looking forward to pictures. You all must be very proud of your new tribal office.

We're back from St. George and I am sorry to admit, the camera never left its bag. Everyone had been working hard on the new building, some Pow-wow preparations were delayed. We jumped in, me in the kitchen, my husband on the grounds, and didn't stop until Saturday night.

Early Tuesday morning, the less intense, southern end of a nasty weather front blew through. It was about 5am and I don't know if the wind gusts rocking the camper or the noise woke me, but I was praying before I realized it. "No Hail, No Hail, Grandfather, Please, No Hail." With Spring Break, we had quite a few children sleeping in tents.

We set up camp in the parking lot and didn't know they had already been moved to the library. Thankfully there were no injuries, or damage and the weather was perfect afterwards. Others in the Southeastern states were not as fortunate.

There were several first time vendors, all with wonderful items. The Boy Scout Troops and youth groups thoroughly enjoyed the blacksmith demonstrations. We did manage to squeeze in a little shopping ourselves, and found a beautiful cloth dress for summer gatherings.

Each Pow-wow is special and this one had some bonuses. Grand Entry was a bit more traditional in that it was after the mesmerizing Grass Dancers prepared the Circle. There is an urgency for finding those knowledgable of old dances, learning, and saving them. One of these is the Swan dance. About a dozen young ladies learned this dance and provided a graceful and beautiful demonstration Saturday evening. This is a project I am so excited about and can't wait to see the next dance re-introduced to a new generation and preserved.

Welcome back, lcp. Your Pow-wow seems like it was a great success and much fun. So glad there were no injuries or damage from the hail. I would love to have seen the Swan Dance -- it must have been beautiful.

Thankfully there is a large window in the kitchen! We get to see a little of Grand Entry while cleaning up after feeding the camp. We actually stopped everything to watch the Grass Dancers and I caught a few glimpses of my husband carrying the Georgia flag in Grand Entry.

I DID complete his Ribbon Shirt, service hash marks and all!!! I'll try to post a picture as soon as I can dig the camera out of the camper.

For the Swan Dance, I snuck out for a few minutes, but missed most of the explanation. One of the drummers (who had taught the girls) was crouched down and the girls were swirling around him with their dance shawls extended. The drumbeat was a slower measure and the girls gracefully turned to it.

Being married and a bit too old, it's not a dance I can participate in, but it was an honor to experience it and know that it will be preserved.

So enlightened that you found a good time at the Powwow. Waiting to see the ribbon shirt.

This past week is such a blur. Now that I'm rested, the brain is clearing. Several Tribal members arrive very early to help with preparations. Two nights before we pulled in, the children were in the library playing games and working on regalia. One of my dear friends went to her camper for supplies. She stepped out to return and smelled something, she knew that smell. Then she heard the grunt right behind her.

Don't run! Don't run! Don't run! But she was inside the truck in about 1 second and sat there until her heart stopped pounding. Out the truck and across the Tribal Grounds to the Library, Don't run! Don't run! screaming through her head, took about 2 seconds. The children are not allowed to wander the grounds alone at night. The buddy system is required. That particular night, they returned to their tents in groups of FOUR!

With our camp set up in the parking lot, we're pretty much on our own out there. My friend felt the need to share her "adventure," and I felt the need to put on a particular necklace and wore it all week. The pendant is a green stone Zuni bear. The rumors of a bear living near the Tribal Grounds are not rumors. I had MY bear and didn't need another.

I remember your encounter with your bear. That was so intense! Brother Bear must be very interested in the events your tribe holds there. The Zuni Bear is a good thing to wear. Does it have a heart line?