Little Known Facts About Native American Pow Wows

By Rebecca Barnes


Everywhere you are situated in the world, you may have seen different ways of how people celebrate bigger events and bigger social gatherings. Many countries in the world celebrate holidays, festivals and the tradition of their ancestry. Have you ever thought about how other people celebrate their tribe? Perhaps, it could develop your curiosity. The celebration has always been a part of the culture of every tribe, ancestry, and customs. Today, the Native american pow wows have been a tradition among the Native American culture.

Celebrations like these are a way of maintaining and preserving the tribe. Like the powwow, it has served the purpose for the newer generation to still acquire and possess the rich heritage of American Indians. It is an effective way to get involve and be part of the culture through social gatherings, singing and dancing, and tribal activities. It has allowed the renewal of friendship and engaging in a new one. This also served as a method to renew their culture.

Healing ceremony was powwow known for before it evolved into something that even people who are not identified to be one of them would still enjoy. The healing is done with the religious leaders. There is no exact distinction of how it came into existence, and all people know is that it allowed believers to be consistent with that they truly stand in with the help of spiritual existence. The event would usually start in 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.

Every performance is not just about compliance, skills, and honor. Their performances would always inhibit their identity and how they are as a group. This would also consist of religious related performances and storytelling concepts. As many performers would gather, this would typically last a day that could even go up to three days consecutively. Consequently, their culture is wealthy as it is mostly watched by over ninety thousand individuals.

Part of this ceremony is the showcasing of fancy, colorful and complex dresses that natives mostly use in their performances. There is a lot of intricate tailoring that to be done just to come up with the best dresses for their performances. Some of these dances would include the fancy feather dancing, jingle dancing and so much more. A dress for them is not just something worn, but it also has its origin and is designed with its meaning. This has been one of the many features that they showcase with so much pride.

Today, only a few tribes have developed the practice of celebrating their culture. Festivals today are mostly done through parties with loud music, drinks, and food, which is the total opposite of how natives would celebrate their culture. Although not all understand why these people continue what they have started, it is where natives gain pride and abundance and that is through celebrating their own culture.

The importance of preserving a culture and has been out of the context in modern living. People today would rather argue over a certain belief that settled for it. Renewal of heritage is important for various reasons. One is to reestablish the given identity and help in rebuilding the cultural image. It facilitates people to further understand local pride, spirit and what you truly believe in.




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