BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American New Article - My First Pow-Wow

Oh Jane!
I don't even know where to start! The Aztec headdresses-- so eloquent and alive with movement and grace! I choked up watching it!

Wow the Grass Dancers! Those costumes aren't light and the footwork isn't perfected overnight! The Roaches look amazing! The strength of each drumbeat matching like a song in the heart!

The Jingle dresses--the bearing, dignity and beauty! ki tate olowa

I am so glad you enjoyed the video clips. There's bunches of them for anyone interested and each are just a few minutes long.

I'm also glad you mentioned "roaches," the head pieces, not the bugs. I had forgotten about this story.

We were at a Thanksgiving weekend Pow-wow and the weather was nasty, cold and drizzley. The Dance Circle was set up with hay bales inside one of the buildings at the fairgrounds. And there were more haybales for seating. The building was packed shoulder to shoulder with spectators. My daughter was about 7 and standing on a haybale right in front of me. Even with our heads next to each other, we still had to talk loudly.

Two older ladies were standing next to us when I said to my daughter, "Look at that beautiful roach." The ladies went hysterical and started stomping and squealing.

It took us several minutes to convince them we were not talking about bugs and hadn't seen any.

So many wonderful stories shared, good laughs and truth from the center where the drums and heart meet. My first pow wow was memorable because I had always wanted to go to one. To attend with a tribal member (who later became my husband) was a dream come true. He explained so much to me, as did a nephew who also saw that I was "drinking in" everything I saw. But my most memorable pow wow was on our honeymoon when we went to a Memorial Day pow wow. My heart cried for 4 days...I was so ashamed to be white!! I knew how the weekend would be spent by most of my friends and family and here were all these wonderful new friends honoring their ancestors,ancient and recent, who gave their lives for this nation that has treated them so poorly.I was so humbled by the pride in the acts of bravery by service men and women. Today I am much more comfortable with my husband's family and friends than with many of the white people I know. Who knows, perhaps I am not all white!

WADO Teboe, what a beautiful story, and at the most perfect time!

Can you tell us who your husband's (yours too) People are? Will you be attending a Pow-Wow this weekend?

My husband is Winnebago of Nebraska. The Memorial Day pow wow we attended was in Black River Falls, WI, with the Ho-Chunk nation (also Winnebagos). On Memorial day at Black River Falls, it looks like 300 (at least) flags are flying on the hill. Many have photos by the flag pole, baskets of cigarettes and lighters for prayers and one can just walk through and reflect on and pray for these wonderful people. One photo stands out in my mind...a warrior in full war bonnet, sepia tones with a touch of color added...most likely WW-I vintage. I stood looking at it with tears streaming down my face. Husband now understands that his people are my people. I am not certain if we will make a pow wow this weekend or not. We live in SE Iowa and have many small ones near us. A lot will depend on the weather. It's been very wet (1.5" of rain in the wee hours today). My shawls are ready and I'll be dancing every inter-tribal dance if we get to one.

I hope there is a break in the weather this weekend and you get to dance. The way we honor our warrior veterans always fills my heart, and I can't make it through the National Anthem or the Verterans Song without tears. It's a strange mix of pride and sorrow.

Thank you so much for reminding all of us what this weekend is really about. There are so many who gave their lives for us to live. Each should be remembered. Those of us who can't make it to Black River Falls can still participate.

Proudly fly your flag this weekend to honor all our veterans.

Welcome Vhawk and thanks for joining us! Love to see some photos of your baskets. A friend of mine has started making baskets and I'm hoping for a few lessons this summer.

Do your girls dance at the Pow-wows?