It was a busy weekend, the shop was hopping on Friday afternoon and on Saturday for several hours. It was nice to have some good sales for a change, although they were mostly one-time sales or old customers who were visiting from out of town. Pow-wow season is fully in stream now, and more than 60% of our customers have been Native American, buying a variety of items for their regalia.
 |
Women's Northern Traditional dance outfits are usually a full-length fully beaded buckskin dress with fringe, an eagle feather fan, fully beaded moccasins to match the outfit, a bone and leather breastplate, and other beaded items such as hair ties and barettes. There's usually a belt worn also, although you can't see one on this outfit. These are NOT costumes, they are outfits. |
Have you ever attended or even heard of a pow-wow? DH and I used to attend quite often, although DH wasn't enamoured of them. I really enjoy them, I enjoy watching them, and I have danced in them occasionally. Pow-wow in the USA is generally a get-together of the "oyate" or "people" for socializing, eating, catching up on news and with friends, and most of all, dancing. There are various types of dancing that are usually done, but they vary by location in the nation and which tribe is hosting the dance. In the South, you'll find gourd-dancing a common style, although I rarely see it in the North. In the Plains, you'll get a lot of grass dancers, but they'll be less common in other areas of the country. There are always Traditional dancers - male and female, and the Jingle Dress dancers (female) is a category that has become extremely popular over the past 50 years.
 |
Navajo Traditional dress is velvet - a long sleeved shirt and a tiered skirt with a concho necklace and belt, bracelets on each wrist and rings and earrings. It's likely this person has a matching barrette keeping her hair back, and under her concho belt she is wearing a woven sash that I associate more with Hopi or Zuni than with Navajo. It's a beautiful outfit, though. |
When I dance, which is rarely, I dress in traditional Navajo velvet with my turquoise and silver belts, bracelets and necklaces. I dance traditional style, so not a lot of movement. My Unci (Grandmother) also gifted me with a buckskin dress for dancing. I've probably lost enough weight that I could wear it comfortably now. I enjoy dancing, and I enjoy catching up with friends and acquaintances at the Pow-wows, but it's not really DH's thing. He's not a very social person, and even though he's gone with Native American friends of ours, he's never been very comfortable at that setting.
 |
Most of the tiny tots will want their own outfits before they get too big, but the really small ones are welcome to participate in whatever clothing they happen to be wearing. This Pow-wow took place near Salt Lake City, Utah. |
I think the best thing about any Pow-wow though are the little children. They love dancing to the drum, and they're always rewarded with candy or money when they take to the arena. They're absolutely adorable and just enjoy themselves so very much as they dance to the drum in whatever ways seem best to them.
 |
Drum groups shift members often, but the good ones have a core group that works together all the time. Here's a Lakota drum at a Pow-wow from Rosebud, South Dakota in 2017. My brother Floyd was a part of the Porcupine Singers - a very well known and respected drum from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Kicking Woman is another excellent Drum to look up. A lot of these drums will have some songs on You Tube, so check it out if you're interested in their sound. |
The drums are central to Pow-wow. There are a variety of songs sung, and different beats made. Drums are used at Pow-wow, and also for funerals and other events. When my brother Floyd was honored and buried more than two years ago, the drum from Prairie Island came out to play and honor him. I can hear it in my mind as I write this, the singing and the cadenced beats of the drummers around the drum, never missing a beat in every honoring song. It's a magic of it's own.
 |
Before you think Pow-wow is just women, the men are just as involved and their dress is just as elaborate. Here is a traditional Northern Plains dancer with porcupine roach headdress, a fan in one hand and staff in the other, with a full bustle in back and lots of excellent beadwork. Although often the beading is done by the women, some of the best beaders I've ever known have been men, and the Native American men who have made their own dance outfits are outstanding artists in their own right. |
There are drums and songs for ceremonial use, and drums and songs for dancing. Big Pow-wows will often have several drums and the songs will move from one to the next throughout the day, sometimes over several days since the event will often take place over a two or three-day period. If you're interested in listening to some drums, try Porcupine Singers or Kicking Woman Singers on You Tube.
On that note, I'm out of here. Have an excellent Monday, I hope your week will start out well and I'll be back tomorrow. (BTW, the store alarm had another false alarm last night, so I'm back to 2 hours of sleep today. I'll be getting a tech out to check everything out today sometime.)
