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The Pow Wow will be an event that will celebrate the culture, traditions and heritage of the first Americans. An Inter-Tribal Pow Wow is an event that is not Nation specific. There are over 550 Native American Indian entities recognized by the Federal Government. At an Inter-Tribal Pow Wow you are likely to meet many different representative peoples from those many independent nations. Yes, I did say nations. Members of these many nations actually have dual citizenship. Those who are enrolled in their nation carry that citizenship as well as United States Citizenship.

During the Pow Wow dances will be held during which all peoples are invited to dance, both Indian and non-Indian. These dances are called Inter-Tribal dances since they don’t belong to any specific nation. There will also be exhibition dances that originated with either a specific nation or a particular part of the country.

The Grass Dance us commonly accepted as having originated with the Ottawa Nation. Any man, or boy, who wishes to dance in this style, now dances it. It is a colorful and strenuous dance, calling for a great deal of endurance from those who dance it. It is said that in days of old it was the duty of the Grass Dancer’s to prepare the area that would be used for a dance arena. This was done by dancing in a circle and flattening the grass of the prairie where the celebration or dance was to be held. Today, many times the Grass Dancers are the first to dance, even before the Grand Entry, as a way of remembering the old customs and ways.

The Fancy Shawl Dance is by some people, said to have originated with the Cheyenne nation. A story is told about a time when a war party returned to their village after a battle with another tribe. The men were recounting the battle in dance, as was their custom, when a young woman whose brother had been killed taking part in that war party, due to her great grief, took a blanket from one of the war ponies and joined in the dancing. This was against all customs and she was made fun of by all of those in attendance. Her grief was such that she ignored the pleadings of all those there and continued to dance. Eventually other women who had lost loved ones joined in the dance and the dance continues to this day.

Exhibitions of these two dances, as well as exhibitions of the men’s Northern Traditional, Southern Straight, Southern Traditional and Fancy Dance will be presented during the Pow Wow. There will also be exhibitions of Women’s Buckskin, Southern Cloth, Jingle Dress and more.

Schedule of events and location of Pow Wow To Be Announced. Please feel free to contact Event Coordinator Genie Strickland for more information at 830-796-4447.