Little Known Facts About Native American Pow Wows

By Rebecca Barnes


No matter where you are in this world, for a time in your life you are aware of tribe ceremonial gatherings. Every place and tribe has its way of celebrating their identity and culture. However, modern life has allowed these practices to be at its extinction. Today, not all celebrate their heritage, and only a few tribes still follow their tradition. There are ways on how these tribes and ancestry would further develop their ceremonies which allowed the new generation of their tribe to experience it as well. The Native american pow wows are proof that these types of ceremonial activities still exist.

Celebrating culture and heritage is a way of keeping and protecting old practices. Powwow has served positive engagement with regards to the new generation. It has provided them to transfer the possession of the rich culture and heritage of every American Indian. It has been an effectual way to let people socialize and be part of the activities such as dancing and singing. Apart from that, it had also catered to renew relationships and friendships.

Through history as to how and when it started, there was never really an exact detail as to how it boomed just like that. People are left with no answers until today. The rise of powwow had helped people to be cured and healed with their certain illnesses through spiritual existence, as they believed. This is typically recognized during the summer and spring seasons.

It has started as a religious celebration for believers to acquire wisdom and to celebrate the creator, Wakan Tanka. However, it has mainly been changing over the years. Today, it is celebrated as a social gathering that includes competitions through dances, and religious acts are still performed. Perhaps, it did not deeply change its overall practice, but it only evolved and with additional activities that would be more engaging for more natives.

Healing will always be the highlight of every ceremony which is also associated with chants, dancing and singing, drum playing and a lot more. The younger generation is fortunate enough to still experience the beauty of this ceremonial situation. However, as not all can join every event, some powwows would offer their time to go around the country and look for potential people that would be willing to learn more about the heritage.

The natives perform their given pieces with a hint of religion, cultural and storytelling concepts. These performances have evolved and are now part of the competition. Some festivals would last just a day, but powwows would reach up to three days consecutive. It has been consistent that over one hundred thousand watchers would wait for this ceremony every year. This is the best indication of how rich their culture is.

It is also the time where they can show how they can beautifully tailor dresses which mostly consist of colorful and luxurious look with a twist of its unique detailing. These dresses are not just for the sake of it, but it is mostly made from where it originated and how each serves with its meaning. Their dances would include gourd dancing, cloth dancing and so much more exciting types. Truly, they nurtured their practices since then.

In the generation today, some do not celebrate the festivities of their tribe, neither the religious beliefs. Most cultures are highly westernized, which follows a different way. Celebrations today would include partying with alcoholic drinks. People today will never understand why preservation of culture has been part of the identity that powwows have kept throughout the years. It gives them so much pride in how they can sustain these aspects.

Keep and protecting the heritage and culture of a tribe or a place is something that only a few individuals have taken seriously these days. Modern living has allowed a lot of people to take this situation as something irrelevant. It is important to consider these aspects as this will also let other people engage in your identity and beliefs. There is so much to discover out there than just settling for what you already know.




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