Saturday, July 13, 2019

What You Need To Know 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.

Ceremonies would typically include dancing, social connection, food, chants, instrumental situations through the beat of the drums, and the healing. Fortunately, this tradition still exists today. The natives have continued this tradition for the future generation to experience it on their own. Powwows are mostly celebrated in areas where there is a high population of Native American tribes. However, some powwows would provide educational lessons for those people who are situated in different areas around the country.

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.

Ceremonies would also include a dancing tradition that is associated with pleasing and attractive clothing. Such as the straight dance that has intricately tailored southern dance clothing. This reassures solidity, as everything looks matched and completely planned. There are also cloth dancing, fancy shawl dancing, fancy feather dancing, grass dancing, gourd dancing and jingle dancing. What makes these extraordinary is how they would tailor the clothing with complicated detailing. Each dress has its effect, objective and the differences in origins.

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.

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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