January 15, 2006
What is a Powwow?
Join the members of Redbird, a 501(c)(3) Native American non profit association, at the organization's 2006 Children Of Many Colors Intertribal Powwow. Proceeds from the event benefit Redbird in the creation of the 'Strengthening The Circle' Native American 2006 Scholarship Fund.
In the simplest terms, a powwow is a Native American gathering that the public is welcome to attend. Powwows are a relatively new development in the history of indigenous people. They are a cultural adaptation to the confinement of reservations and the migration of Indians to urban areas.
There have always been gatherings and ceremonies amongst tribes and even groups of tribes. When native people were relocated to reservations, often far from their homes and onto desperately barren land, their lifestyles were forever changed. They were no longer free to move about, to hunt and gather as had been their practice for countless centuries. The powwow emerged as a way to keep traditions alive in a manner that was acceptable to the government agencies that determined how Indians lived and behaved. People enjoyed watching dances and hearing the sound of drums and other instruments. They marveled at the beautiful regalia of the dancers, and sought out items they could buy as souvenirs.
Today the powwow is an integral part of the lives of many native people. It is part ceremony and part social gathering, an Indian marketplace, and for many of us, much like a big family reunion.
Outside the dance arena you will find vendors selling a vast array of items, from jewelry and clothing to books, pottery, beads, leather, drums, flutes, hand crafted works of art, and many varieties of food. Around the dance arena sit the dancers along with their families and friends. This is where they will spend the weekend, moving in and out of the dance arena, observing the many ceremonies that go on between the dances, cheering for their favorites in contest dances, and teaching their children about their traditional ways and about how to behave at a powwow.
Between the families are the canopies of various drums who will sing their beautiful songs throughout the weekend at the emcee's request. In the center of the arena sits the host southern drum, who will sing the gourd dance songs whenever gourd dancing is held in conjunction with the powwow.
Inside the arena, which is blessed and prayed over before the powwow begins, a rich mixture of events takes place. There are exhibition dances that illustrate the various styles of dance. There are ceremonies that take place which mark some of the most important occasions in our lives. Sometimes there are contests, where dancers compete for prize money or to be recognized as the official ambassador for the gathering. The songs are often ancient, handed down from elder to son and from one drum to another. There is one dance that welcomes everyone into the circle. It is called the Intertribal, and it is our way as native people of welcoming all our relations to come and feel the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and to dance and pray with us.
| When: | June 16, 17 and 18, 2006 Friday 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. |
| Where: | Moorpark College, Moorpark California |
| Who: | Open to the General Public Host Northern Drum: Wild Horse Host Southern Drum: Hummingbird Singers Head Gourd Dancer: Saginaw Grant, Sac and Fox Head Man Dancer: Sam Bear Paw, Apache Head Woman Dancer: Thirza DeFoe, Ojibwe/Oneida Emcee: Michael A. Reifel, San Carlos Apache Arena Director: Victor Chavez, Dine |
Redbird is dedicated to promoting the awareness and celebration of indigenous cultures and people of Southern California and working to create a sustainable future. The organization began through a series of exhibits entitled “Spirits In The Material World – Native Americans Today,” shown at over 100 locations throughout Southern California and in the state of Ohio in 1995.
The 2006 intertribal powwow is expected to include Gourd Dancers, tepees and traditional dwellings, food and craft vendors, non-profit organizations relating to Native American and Environmental issues, children's activities, bird singing, exhibitions by Inuit/Tlinglit/Alaska native dancers, Hawaiian/Polynesian native dancers, and Chumash/California native dancers.
For more information on the event, including placement on the vendor list and powwow program advertising, please contact:
Redbird
P.O. Box 702
Simi Valley, CA 93062
(805) 217-0364
Email: redbirds_vision@hotmail.com
http://www.RedbirdsVision.org
(Submitted by C. Roberts)
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