Attending a Native American Powwow

ladybugblue | Oct 10, 2009 |

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It always fun to learn about different cultures than our own. A good way to learn about Native Americans is to attend a Powwow in your area. If you're looking for an interesting and fun thing to do on the weekend, here is a great option. There are a lot of Native American Powwows going on around the country. If you haven't attended one of these, you may want to consider one of these events. Chances are there may be one coming nearby your town.

First thing to remember when attending a Native American Powwow or Gathering of the Nations is that the sacred circle is just that. Do not go into the circle unless you are invited. The circle is where they actually have the ceremony which attendees will watch.

The circle is a symbol of life. You only enter through one way and exit through the same way. The entrance is distinctive as it is built like an arch. The circle is formed by ropes.

It is said that everything a Native American does is done in a circle. The sacred circle represents the earth.

There are similarities in Powwows but differences according to the tribes. These Powwows are also called the Gathering of the Nations. There may be several tribes that gather together, but one particular tribe who plans the event.

The costumes of Native Americans are extravagant and wonderfully detailed. There are a lot of natural items on these costumes like feathers, deer tail hair, nuts, and even turtle shells. The women dress less elaborate then the men. The Native American men will have beautiful headdresses and large beautiful feathers on their costumes.

The women wear dresses, some are plain but some are more decorated. The details, though even on some of the dresses are very extraordinary. There are even stories from long ago attached to accents on their costumes. For instance, in one tribe, we noticed a Native American woman wearing a turtle shell attached to the back of her dress. We asked her about it. She told us a beautiful story about a Sea turtle that saved one of their ancestors long ago. They believed the earth was completely water long ago and there was a Native American chief and his wife who was pregnant. They lived in the clouds. There was a big tree with huge branches in the clouds. The chief's wife lost her balance one day and fell out of the sky to the earth. With her she took a tree branch which she grabbed to catch her footing. She sank to the bottom but grabbed some sand from the bottom and swam to the surface. The sea turtle saved her, of course, and she scattered the sand and seeds ( from the tree branch) around him and he held up the land that became of it. Thus TurtleIsland was born.

There is ceremonial dancing that takes place and sometimes Native Americans even invite the attendees to join. This is the dance that all tribes join in. There may also be a particular group that dances as a whole with incense, and this can be construed as a performance but is very traditional. There are myths and tribal beliefs that surround these dances that each tribe believes. Sometimes there are larger Powwow events that are more like a festival. These events have many more activities such as singing, more dancing, face painting, and arts of the Native Americans.

Among these things, it has much more authentic food to choose from.

If you're looking for something exciting to do on the weekend which is different than you usually do, try finding a Native American Gathering near you.

http://www.gatheringofnations.com/powwows/index.htm