Productions
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Jerry Laney ~ Owner
jerry.laney@mindspring.com
 

~ What is a Pow Wow ~

    The Indians of North America have held powwows for hundreds of years.  Long before this land was called America Native People danced in a circle around the drum for celebrations, fellowship, renewal and healing.  We can never bring back the past and we are always looking toward the future.  We have to hang onto our traditional ways and try to implement them into our modern lives as closely as we can.

     In the powwow a non-Indian might see the power and endurance of an athletic contest, the beauty of a ballet or the color display of a musical theater in the round.  He may also experience the fellowship and feasting of family reunion, the spiritual uplift of prayer meetings, or the patriotism of a Veteran's Day parade.

     For Native Americans the powwows are all of this, and a way to come back to what holds them together as tribal people.  There are a variety of dancers in a powwow.  All of them are connected with the drum, the dance arena, and the rhythm of the dance.  They are all dancing to the same song, but have different melodies.

     Part of the open ceremonies includes songs that honor the American Flag, Symbolically the flag represents the country of the land. It is the symbol of family, tradition, of culture and of maintaining the land and all that it represents.  So, when we say that we will fight for this country, we are saying that this land is what we care about.  For this is the resting place of our forefathers.

     Even though some formalities have changed throughout the years, the basic of being Indian is still the drum, the songs, prayer, beliefs and frame of mind.  We try to identify that every year, if you are aware of these things, it creates a meaning for you.  We try to put these things together at a powwow so that all can envision this meaning.

                                    ~   THIS IS WHY POWWOWS EXISTS ~