7/12/2019

Little Truths About Pow Wows 2019

By Jerry Rogers


Whenever we heard the word festival, we can imagine an occasion where people gather and get merry all day long. At present, there are a thousand events like this around the globe and each of them are uniquely presented to others. You can bet to have this feeling of excitement when you attend the pow wows 2019 celebration which is perhaps the feast to commence all of them.

It is basically a social event in a local Native American groups, but what sets it apart from others is the way it carries a rich and colorful cultural aspect. At this present moment, it has been more of keeping intact the traditions of a tribe while appreciating the fact that no two Indian societies have the same exact culture from each other. This is the reason why celebrations would last from a day until one week, because there is simply not enough time to spend precious moments together once the event stops.

Preparations for the event is insanely long, often taking a year before the date arrives. Most of the times, groups of tribes may volunteer to be the sponsors of that event and that will set everything in motion by then. It is their task to advertise, prepare the venue and make an agreement between vendors who will be setting their makeshift tents to display their wares.

The perfect sign that the festival is about to start is the unison sound of drums which could be heard at a distance. The rhythm signifies an invitation for people to come and being part in their celebration of brotherhood, peace and unity. Different singing styles from the North and South are often heard together with these drums.

Every movement in the dances are a reflection of how rich and colorful is their tradition. Keeping the flow of the program is what the master of ceremonies, often the most senior and deemed knowledgeable on the tribal ways. This person can help make the spectators explain to them what is happening all around and may add light jokes on it.

What is peculiar about this ceremony is that everybody is invited, friend or foe, so it was crucial that somebody would act as the middleman between them to keep everything in order. In festivities today, you can call this person as the master of ceremony who will see to it that everything flows smoothly. It is very much like the Olympics of old wherein warring states of ancient Greece would stop their wars after four years to play games in honor of the gods.

As the sang and danced, you would notice that they do it in circles. The shape is actually an important symbol for the tribes, as it signifies that diagram we call as the cycle of life. In the middle of this, a pole with a white flag is placed as a sign of peace for all people attending the event.

The festivity is a way of transmitting their tradition and culture to their children and consequently the later generation. The songs they usually sung are on their native tongues. When they do that, it is the signal that other groups will also start to dance in unison.

We need to stop judging people based on our own standards and look at them in their own unique way. Being one with them can help you understand how they managed to survive over the years in an ever changing environment. We can learn in as much that they do the same on us.




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