American Indian Powwow Dance Culture - Essay Example

American Indian powwow dance culture Powwows aim at celebrating being an Indian. The events inspire personal and cultural pride in the American Indians. They permit the Indian families, individuals, and tribes to gather together with the intention of feasting, exchanging crafts and arts, dancing, singing, upholding tribal customs, and enjoying listening to their languages being spoken. Without people, culture would be nothing (Kalman 33). However, there is a need to emphasize that since powwow is an Indian phenomenon that is very recent, an Indian should never be regarded as traditional merely because she or he attends powwows. This paper aims at exploring the intersection between powwow culture’s history and development, and the research will focus more on the participant’s voice. In this case, there will be an attempt to link the future, past, and present of powwow dancing. The word ‘powwow’ comes from the Algonquian Indian term ‘pau wau’ that denotes ‘he dreams’. In relation to this definition, ‘pau wau’ were associated with a reverent, personal, and religious importance. as far as the contemporary powwow is concerned, this definition differs totally as the functions are viewed as group-oriented social events, and the public is permitted to attend. The powwow concept began among the tribes that lived in the Great Plains, stretching from Canada’s southern prairies to Texas’ lower plains ((Kalman 28).During the pre-reservation era, a majority of the Plains tribes created inter-tribal alliances. The alliances permitted tribal-specific dances, ceremonies, as well as songs to be exchanged. Many of the powwow singers and dancers mark this as the historical foundation of the present day’s ‘intertribal powwow.’ The 1st intertribal powwow that was recognized as legitimate was Ponca Powwow, and it was held in Oklahoma. It started around 1879 in the northern Indian Territory. The Indian Territory was evidently inter-tribal since around 67 tribes have historically been linked to the lands which ended up as Oklahoma. A majority of the members of the tribes travelled long distances by horse so that they could have the special opportunity of participating in inter-tribal dancing and singing at Ponca events. Some of these tribes were Otoe-Missouria, Pawnee, Osage, Kaw, Ponca, and Omaha. These early Ponca Powwows were mainly dominated by the men’s warrior dances or ‘heluska.’ During the early 1900s, the lifestyles of the Plains Indians were deteriorating rapidly since the spirits of the people had been broken. During the 1st World War, the American Indians were part of the armed forces. Consequently, the Indian tribes’ members fought courageously so as to defend the US although they were mortal enemies at once. During the homecoming, a majority of the veterans laid the tribal variations aside so as to dance to the common drumbeat with the comrades. At one time, the American flag was a symbol that the Indian lives had been destroyed. However, it acquired a novel status at the 20th century Indian gatherings. In an ancient warrior societies’ renaissance, celebrations reemerged so that the veterans could be honored as the modern-day warriors. The tribal elders who could remember particular tribal protocol contributed the knowledge they possessed when ceremonies were being conducted for the Indian servicemen (Kalman 21). Consequently, there was a combination between the ancient traditions and new procedures, and the result was fit for this period. By 1920, the southwestern Oklahoma’s Plains tribes held the 1st intertribal powwow, and this was held at Dietrich Lake. With the increase of intertribal powwows, novel organizations and songs were instituted to aid the commemoration of contemporary events. During the 1950s, intertribal powwows were already evident in the cities since the tribe members had relocated for employment purposes. This was seen as a bigger opportunity for exchanging cultures among a larger variety of the Indian people. The desire to identify with fellow Indians encouraged these people to search for mutual ‘Indianness’ in the intertribal powwows. From Maine to southern California to Florida to Alaska, including everywhere where the Indians could be found, powwows were a norm. In essence, the powwow circuit became analogous to the official tennis, golf, and rodeo circuits. To any dancer or singer, the most significant and central focal point in any powwow is the singers and the drum. The singers offer the musical accompaniment in addition to setting the dances’ tempo. Noteworthy, powwow dancing is acknowledged as the most noticeable component of the powwow. The fancy shawl dance for the women and the fancy dance for the men are the most recent innovations which started not more than 100 years ago. Apart from these two dances, there are other categories including men’s grass dance, southern men’s straight dance, northern men’s traditional dance, jungle dress dance for the women, and the southern or northern traditional dance for the women. Currently, the powwow is taken very seriously across North America. It has also spread to Europe. Since the inception, the event has undergone through numerous changes. The identity of individual tribes is less identifiable in dances, songs, as well as the regalia worn. Presently, the Indians can be said to be living by the values of their Indian background and those of the modern world. Therefore, these influences will still affect powwow’s evolution. With the 21st century emergence, many natives were greatly concerned about a return to the ancient ways as well as the earliest gathering ways. Soon, the old ways and old terms started appearing increasingly at both non-competition and competition events. So as to arouse an interest and promote the old ways, a majority of the lump some money competition powwows encompasses of novel dress and dance categories, and these are those that were used in the past. This aims at creating a renewed interest and passion in the old ways. Irrespective of the terms used for descriptions, the current powwows or gatherings base themselves on the cardinal values that are common to the Native Americans in North America; generosity, tradition, respect, and honor. Along with the families, many dancers, singers, as well as vendors follow the trail all over the continent so as to celebrate and share the culture. At Indiana University, the Powwow culture continues being celebrated with the aim of sharing arts, culture, and history at traditional powwows. During such occasions, there are talks that revolve around the culture, workshops, and lectures. As noted earlier, a majority of these are open to the masses and free. Every year, the powwow at Indiana University grows in scope and size. Moreover, participants come from across the nation and Canada. In the past, the event was even attended by many people from the Midwest. At the university, the powwow feature the America Indian crafts and arts. Singers and drum groups are among the performers during the grand entries, and these represent tribes from across Canada and US. Crafts are sold, and the gourd dancing that honors community elders and veterans is performed as well (Ellis 34). Some of the key messages during these gatherings is that the powwows indicate solidarity among multi-national populations that have disparate social and political agendas. The powwows become the meeting point for a wide array of cultures. It is recommendable that the first time attendees have knowledge about the basic etiquette, and simply, this is common sense and respect. For instance, the participants should request for permission before taking other participants’, singers’ or dancers’ photos. The clothing of a dancer or a singer is seen as a great treasure, as well as a history’s expression, as some of these regalia are handed down generation after generation (Ellis 23). When touching a regalia, a participant is required to ask for permission as well. The singing at powwows is either southern or northern is style. In the two traditions, the group of singers is usually in a circle and around a huge drum. All powwow songs, musically, share a similar basic formal structure, the steady drumbeat included. The southern songs possess a lesser vocal range in addition to 3 accented drumbeats between each verse’s repetitions. On the other hand, the northern singing has a higher pitch, and the songs have a feature of drum accent patterns that are referred to as ‘honor beats.’ The drumming is exclusively a male activity in the southern and the women sing. In the northern, women may sit at drums based on their community’s traditional practices. Works Cited Ellis, Clyde. A Dancing People: Powwow Culture on the Southern Plains. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2003. Print. Kalman, Bobbie. Celebrating the Powwow. New York, N.Y: Crabtree Pub, 1997. Print. Read More