Have you ever been to a pow-wow?

Many times. I grew up in Indiana, and my mom is part Shawnee and Chickasaw. She’s about ¼ Native American, but didn’t start going to powwow until I was in college. Then, she got into it in a big way. Now she claims to be half Native American, says a spirit wolf follows her everywhere and once tried to attack and kill her, and makes her husband (who is not Native American) sprinkle tobacco on deer carcasses when he goes hunting. She’s a rather disturbed person.

Anyway, before my mom went really over the top I did enjoy powwow very much. The dancers are beautiful, fry bread and buffalo burgers are yummy, the arts and crafts are often stunning, and you’d pretty much have to be a rock to be unaffected by the drums and singing to some extent. However, after a while my mother’s behavior at powwow pretty much ruined it for me. It’s a little disgusting how she goes around lying about her heritage and acting like she was raised in Shawnee traditions and brought up my brother and me to know all about our history. In fact, it was just something she mentioned from time to time, the same way she’d mention that her father’s family was originally from Ireland or my dad’s great grandfather was shunned by his wealthy English family for marrying a serving girl. My mom is often asked to be Head Lady Dancer. She made gorgeous buckskin regalia for herself and eats up the attention she gets at powwow. It ruined powwow for me, seeing her prance around acting all phony and lying about her heritage and upbringing.

I would happily go to a powwow again, as long as my mom wasn’t going to be there. ;) I have been to powwow here in Connecticut once, but it was huge and more commercial, like a fair, probably because it was hosted by one of the tribes here that has a huge casino. The powwow seemed as much about drawing people in to spend money as celebrating heritage and giving folks a chance to celebrate their culture and educate others. I had a good time, but it wasn’t the same.

Yes . Growing up in North Dakota . They have tons of reservations. I made myself some some Indian friends over the years got to go. You will have a blast. I remember I did. Try the fry bread! I have not been to one in years. Not sure if they have changed . Would love to find one here in Florida and go. Wonder if you have to be invited by a Indian or if anyone can go? I always went with friends that were Indian. I suppose experiencing one a kid is different then as adult. I would love to go again.

I’ve been to several events.

They hold a pow-wow every year at Withlacoochee River State Park in Dade City, @Frenchfry, always on Mother’s Day weekend. At the same park, every year, is the Mountain Man Rendezvous, and they have a historical Native camp set up. The permanent buildings in the park are authentic-style Blackfoot and Seminole buildings constructed by Native American volunteers. The one with the cone-shaped roof is always nice and cool inside. It’s pretty awesome.

There are the events that are held at the Fort Dade Battle re-enactment of the Second Seminole war, as well.

@Seek_Kolinahr Thanks! I have to check it out and put it on my calendar. I think my family would enjoy that.

Yup. There’s a big one in my town and I go every year. I’m not at all Native (that I know about), but I find that I hold some of the same things sacred. I like to support that community, give them my money for stuff, and respectfully soak in the culture that they open up for guests like me. (I have no doubt that there are private things that go on out of my sight.)

One year, the KKK protested my town’s Pow Wow because, apparently, the event showcased respect and celebration of non-white people. What a shame.

I did. I was invited to a Menominee Indian pow wow and even though it was cool to see….I felt very uncomfortable as I could sense there were quite a few made it clear they were not thrilled with the “white man” being there.

We have the grandaddy of all pow wows in Albuquerque every year. It’s called the Gathering of Nations and it’s held in The Pit (the same arena that has long hosted NCAA basketball regionals). Obviously, there’s not the same intimacy that a “regular” pow wow would offer, but it is a unique chance to see the entire spectrum of dress and custom in one place, plus it’s just a nonstop parade of drums and dancing.

I would love to, but there’s a distinct absence of Native American communities in England. :)

Not yet.

I am part LenniLenape (Delaware) but have attended Powwows of several Iroquois groups across the decades.
Ganondagan society is very close to where I reside and has a yearly powwow as well as other cultural events. I I participate in a Nature based group that has been scrutinized by local tribes and approved as providing traditional sweats and vision quests along with other rituals. I participate in powwow drumming for spiritual purposes but have never drummed for powwow. I also perform Shamanic drumming also known as sonic driving for the purpose of altering states of consciousness and soul travel.
The drum is a magnificent tool in my opinion. It has the power to synchronize hearts and minds. It’s a gathering tool. A tool for bringing peace or inspiring movement of both body, heart and mind.
On another note….someone made rather rude commentary on the rituals of Native Americans and those who would carry on their traditions…people know literally by Native American prophecy as “The Rainbow Warriors”.
No one would let it pass if we made fun of the Priest lighting and dispersing incense at the front of a church or calling up an opening prayer with song. No one would comment negatively on the sharing of wine and crackers as sarcrament. To comment on rituals such as sprinkling tobacco in thanks for whatever life has been given up for our sustenance is a ritual as old as man. To dance in gratitude to the ancestors and all that is under the eyes of Great Spirit is nothing to make a joke about.
I turned away from Christianity and all other forms of worship to return to my ancestors way of honoring.
That is all that needs to be said.

@Joybird I hope you aren’t referring to my comment above about my mom making her husband sprinkle tobacco when he hunts deer. I was not making fun of the ritual at all or mocking any aspect of any Native American culture. I only mentioned it as an example of how my mother became very extreme in her behavior, not because the sprinkling of tobacco is “strange” but because she forces her husband to do it even though he is not Native, does not believe in it, and has nothing to do with her involvement in local Native American groups. I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear. It isn’t the practice that bothers me at all, it’s my mother’s behavior.

I guess the only thing I can compare it to is forcing someone to take Communion if they visit a church, just because they are there.

The large meetings of the Choctaw National are called gatherings and we have them regularly all over the country. They are more like family reunions. The large public events are Pow Wows and include people from many different nations. I have been to many of both and enjoy them a lot. They are much like themed county fairs.

Only once! This past summer I was in Monument Valley, Utah with my boyfriend and we were doing a photography tour of the place. It was amazing, and luckily we were the only ones on the tour that day. Our driver, Carlos, was fuckin awesome, and since we had nothing to do afterwards, he took us to this spot between two of the big rocks where a bunch of people had gathered. Most were Native American, but there were some other plain white folks like us. And it was UNREAL. Navajo tacos, WAAAHOAH!! AMAZING. The sound of the drum, and the flute, and the folktales, and the dancing. It was so much fun. In such a beautiful place. They know how to do it.

Yes, I have attended pow-wows at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts Boston. I am not Native American, but when I was a kid, I wished that I could become one! I do not look at all NA, but on my way into one of the events, someone asked me what tribe I was from!