Inaugural pow wow to bring remembrance, renewal, awareness

First Nations at Indiana University will sponsor campus’ first American Indian pow wow

By Susan Williams

There are 554 different American Indian tribes in the United States, and the last census showed 40,000 Hoosiers of American Indian descent.

The event will include a lecture series and nearly 40 booths of authentic American Indian arts and crafts. But the highlight of both days will be performances of northern and southern drum groups, singers and gourd dancers, and the ceremonial "Grand Entries" of American Indians representing tribes from across the U.S. and perhaps Canada into the IU Fieldhouse for traditional dancing. All events are open to the general public and no admission is charged.

According to Wesley Thomas, IU assistant professor of anthropology and organizer of the event, the pow wow is a pan-Indian function that is at once sacred and social. It is an opportunity of remembrance and renewal for the traditional American Indian, a way to revisit the beliefs and traditions of ancestors.

But besides being an important vehicle for sustaining American Indian tradition and culture, Thomas, who is Navajo, said that having the FNIU pow wow at IU Bloomington also is important as an educational opportunity for the university community and the general public.

"We are a university that is dedicated to diversity, but Native Americans are missing from the academic agenda," said Thomas. "Also, a lot of information about American Indians is not in U.S. history books. In both instances, the pow wow is a way to bring cultural awareness to the general public and an effort to dispel the stereotypes we still have of American Indians."

Thomas said there are 554 different Native American tribes in the United States, and that the last census showed 40,000 Hoosiers of American Indian descent. But because of the open and welcoming nature of pow wows, he has no way of knowing how many participants will be at the FNIU event, especially since this is its inaugural year.

There are 27 categories of American Indian dance, said Thomas, and many pow wows feature dance competitions among the various tribes, but Thomas said Bloomington’s will feature just a few inter-tribal dances instead. First-time observers can look to Leroy Malaterre, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa who will be master of ceremonies, and Dana Leroy, a Ponca who will be arena director, for commentary that will explain pow wow tradition and etiquette.

The dancing cannot happen without the drum, an essential part of American Indian culture. The FNIU event will include Northern and Southern Host Drums. The Northern Drum features the faster drum beat and higher pitched singers that are characteristic of northern American Indian tribes, while the Southern Drum represents the slower beat and lower pitch of southern tribes. Because this is an open pow wow, all drums and dancers are welcome to join the host and invited drums.

As has become tradition at pow wows, the Gourd Dance will be performed as a prelude to each of the three scheduled grand entries. All Native American dances have a special meaning, and the Gourd Dance, originated by the Kiowa, is a warrior’s dance.

The Grand Entry will follow a specific order with American Indian veterans of the U.S. military leading the processional in native regalia and with American, state and tribal flags. Older men, who will dance the traditional dances of their various tribes, follow, and then come the younger men, who dance more contemporary dances.

People attending their first pow wow should be aware of basic etiquette, which, according to Thomas, is mostly simple respect and common sense. For example, ask permission before taking photos of dancers before, during or after dances. Flashes are distracting and some dances are sacred and should never be photographed. Also, a dancer’s clothing is a treasure, an expression of history, with some regalia handed down through the generations. Always ask permission to touch regalia.

The pow wow is being sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Student Development and Diversity, the Office of Research and the University Graduate School, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the IU Department of Anthropology, the Indiana Memorial Union and the Bloomington Visitors Bureau.

http://www.indiana.edu/~fniu/index.htm

http://www.indiana.edu/~fniu/lectures02.htm

Schedule of events