How Does Powwow Play In Native American Culture

Different aspects of dances all represent something special and meaningful to each specific tribe. Firstly, the purposes of the Native American’s dances are for entertainment, religious rituals, successful hunts, harvests, to give thanks, prayer, victory, mythology, along with many more. (Weiser- Alexander and Alexander) In the video Native American Indian

When I was very young, my parents would take me and my sister to powwows, which are Native American social gatherings. Singing, dancing, and feasting are all characteristic of the powwow, as powwows serve as a means of experiencing Native American culture. During my time at the powwow held at UCSD, I served as an audience member for many of the traditional Native American performances. Through the viewing of these performances, I gained much insight into their symbolism and significance, and I was also able to contextualize some topics discussed in the course.

Native American music has many different musical styles. Within every Native American tribe there is a variety of musical styles and instruments. In response to the research that I have conducted, there are three main musical styles that are going to be my point of focus. The Sioux Grass Dance, the Zuni Lullaby, and the Iroquois Quiver Dance are the principal methods which contribute to Native American music.      

“The Powwow at the End of the World” by Sherman Alexie appears to be a modern free verse poem with varying line length and no end rhyme. It is actually a ceremony to preserve and restore the Native American land and way of life. The repetition of the beginning of the lines and the strong rhythm suggest the drumbeat and dance of the apocalyptic powwow, or communal dance of Indians at the end of the world when all will be put right again. The speaker is an Indian answering the demand for forgiveness by the audience, who imply the Indians should forget four centuries of the atrocities committed by European settlers. He speaks in authoritative chant-like native rhetoric as though he can actually do what he says, like a medicine man. The poem in a few lines undoes the effects of modern civilization, destroying dams and allowing the waters to flow and the salmon to return.

In the beginning, many native americans were killed, while Omaamikwe was guided by a spirit. Protecting Omaamikwe was the spirit’s task and succeeded. Then, after some time a drum came to Omaamikwe which was the big drum. Omaamikwe was instructed on all the songs and eventually the big drum society was formed. Today the big drum is a powwow drum which is very social to the people. The drum’s purpose is to bring people together at a powwow. Which is a gathering of people to celebrate their heritage. The arrival of the drum allowed people to communicate with spirits and was vital to their own spirituality. Such vitals were pleasure, healing, hunting, war, and ceremony to ensure the spirits were with them. A sound of thunder comes from the drum

A Powwow is a congregation where Native American celebration, singing and dancing take place. Throughout the country there are numerous different powwows; though in this essay I will talk about overall powwows and in details the Jingle Dress Dance which by most accounts has its roots in the northern regions of the United States.

Native Americans celebrate a lot of traditions but one of the most popular celebration is Pow wows. Pow wows are also a time to extend native american culture and preserve the rich heritage of american indians. According to the article, What is a Pow wow, “A pow wow is gathering for many different communities”. Native americans have a diverse culture. Some say that Pow wows stand for an “American Indian medicine man”. Pow wows celebrate people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones.

I only remember going to one powwow in my life. It was several years ago when I was just a child at the Cherokee National Holiday celebration. I have seen some other Native dancers at different events but never formal powwows. I have always wanted to see more, but I have never had an opportunity to see another one. So, when I saw I had an assignment where I was required to go to an American Indian event, I knew I wanted to see another powwow. I looked on the Oklahoma Tourism website and found the nearest one to where I live. It was the Restoring Harmony / Stand to Power Powwow at the Westside YMCA in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I learned a lot about modern tribal initiatives dealing with health, culture, and intertribal relations.

The reason Fancy Shawl dancing is very big because a lot of people are very interest in seeing one dance this style of dance because it really grabs their attention from a perspective. The hard work that their ancestors put in just so they can be where they are now is very sad, but grateful because they are showing them they should not be afraid to be who they was born to be. The most impact that affected the women Native Americans is when the women decided that they wanted to dance with the men. That affected them a lot because that gave the future women who wants to dance that opportunity to dance and when they was blessed to dance with the men in the arena is very praised to them. It gave the men and women equality, because they was able to be in the arena with their warriors as equals. The ancestors that are looking down on the Native Americans that are sharing who and what they are would be very proud of how good the future of their bloodline turned out to

According to Rose, within the Native American music, “No harmony is ever incorporated, although sometimes many people sing at once, and other times the vocals are solo. The Native American vocals are passionate, used to invoke spirits, ask for rain or healing, or are used to heal the sick.” Like Rose, Native American Music – The Beating of Native Drums and Flutes, agrees that the “Native American Indians worshipped the spirits of the animals, the sun, the moon and the stars and everything else that they could not explain. The songs they sang and danced to were meant to honor these spirits as stated but many of their traditional celebrations would also have re-enactments of these stories, where members of the tribe would dress up and perform ceremonial dances to the gods while they would re-enact tribal myths.” As made aware through thr exploration of what the music is, the representation is lost through study and inappropriate understanding due to westernized intuition.

American Indian life in the present time can be characterized as one big melting pot. Some societies try to preserve their own identity, while other groups came together in some way and brought their cultures together. A lot of what is known about their music has come from the past century when technological advancements were just beginning to take place. It was also during this period of time that there was a lot of turmoil between the whites. It was obvious that each tribe had its own musical identity, whether it dealt with style, uses of, or ideas of what music was. At that time there were thousands of groups, all speaking their own language, and each had several songs to accompany ceremonies, dances, and to divide society. Anthropologists have put them into categories according to their ways of life.

This lesson will introduce students to the Native American culture. This lesson will also introduce students to different types of Native American music. Students will have the opportunity to use musical instruments to explore music through interruptive body movements. Students will mimic traditional Native American jingle dancing. Students will perform a jingle dance to a given piece of Native American music using shaker instruments. Students will be expected to participate in the dance as a class. Student’s improvised dance is expected to correlate with the music and students should use shakers. Alternative musical instruments and/or considerations will be available for students with learning and/or special needs.

The article, ‘Echoing Traditional Ways’ Pow Wow celebrates Native American heritage, informs us of dancers from different Native Americans, such as the Shoshone, Cherokee, Ute and Navajo, coming together to showcase their cultures at the Utah State University’s 43rd Annual Pow Wow. The event was planned by the University’s Native American Student Council. The event was created for Native Americans to practice their culture and to bridge the gap between students with Native American heritage and other students. Dancing is a big part of the culture, so people use this event to connect to their backgrounds that are most likely slipping away in modern society. The council will also answer questions any students have about the Native American culture.

Description: Dances are usually preformed at pow wows (modern day gatherings) or in the past have been done at many if not most of the ceremonies held by the tribe. The dances happen in large groups all holding instruments and chanting or singing. As they do this the group will move in a counter clockwise motion on beat creating a being as one. The songs will usually consist of short chants that are then either repeated or changed just slightly to form a long performance. The whole tribe will gather together to do these dances.

In pow-wow space, it is amazing to see the way that Native Americans are organizing themselves around the drum and why. “Dr. Hoehner described a pow-wow as taking place within four circles” (Perea 25, 2014). Any culture has their own way of organizing themselves in a social gathering such as singing, but I have always thought that American Indians pow-wow space is built differently to what mentioned in the book. The circle starts with fire, dancers “mostly females,” drums and both singers and audience. Of course, that was not true.