Pow-Wow An ages-old tradition in a modern era

Story and Photos by ROGER EMILE STOUFF
There were 92 competition dancers from 19 Native American Nations at the Third Annual Chitimacha Pow-wow Saturday at the Pavilion at Cypress Bayou Casino-Hotel.
That number—which is about double last year’s—does not include some dancers who participated only in Grand Entry, the procession of all individuals in full regalia who kick off the gathering, said Kimberly S. Walden, M.Ed., Chitimacha Cultural Department Director.
For a small venue in rural south Louisiana, the annual event has grown proportionately.
“We’re becoming known for hospitality,” Walden said. “We feed them and take care of them.” Previous participants have spread the word, allowing the event to grow.
“It’s a celebration of Native cultures through song, dance and fellowship,” she said. “It provides the public a unique opportunity to experience Native American music and dance, as well as to enjoy the colorful regalia, Native American foods and crafts.”
These things don’t just fall into place. Walden noted that planning for the next event began Saturday night when the pow-wow was over. “As we’re tearing down, we were saying, ‘What went well? What didn’t go well? How can we improve?’”
The process involves inviting a pow-wow head staff including a Head Man and Head Lady dancer, who lead the dances except in competition; an emcee, Arena Director, a Head Judge and a Head Gourd Dancer.
“He is the most key staff person,” Walden said of the judge. “You want a reputable head judge. The participants are supposed to disclose if they are related to a judge, so that there’s no bias. That is stated in writing. The Head Judge also knows friendships and family relationships so they can pick people that are going to judge fairly. That’s what we’re building a reputation for: having clean competitions, and our hospitality. That’s why we were able to draw such top-notch people, by having top-notch people to be on our staff. Dancers go out and spread the word and want to come back.”
Of those dancers, five families were champion dancers. Pat and Tanya Moore were Head Man and Head Lady, and Leland Thompson, Head Judge.
These are members of federally recognized tribes who participate in pow-wows across the nation, most very large.
It is quite an accomplishment for a venue only its third year. “John Butler, one of our Golden Age competitors, he’s featured in magazines, he’s competed all over Indian Country,” Walden said.
The pow-wow also featured Native American vendors. Walden said she visits other pow-wows and selectively invites reputable vendors who sell handmade arts and crafts from federally-recognized tribes, ensuring compliance with the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, and guaranteeing quality goods for people to purchase. Vendors also contact the Cultural Department and if approved by the Pow-wow Committee, they are allowed to have a booth.
There were similar events back in the 1980s, then held at the ball field where the Chitimacha Health Clinic sits now. Though these were called tribal fairs, held in July, they featured many activities, whereas pow-wows are solely dedicated to celebrating Native American culture, Walden said.
It was in the mid-1990s that tribal government began thinking of hosting a gathering. “It’s a cost,” Walden said. “Pow-wows are not money making things. You have to offer prize money, people are traveling here from across the nation so you have to make it worth for them to travel here. We have to comp the staffs rooms, pay the pow-wow head staff, provide meals…there’s a lot of costs involved. So what the tribal council decided was that tribal businesses would help sponsor the event, and that the Cultural Department and Pow-wow Committee would be tasked with getting sponsorships from other businesses.”
The event mostly centers around dancing, of course, a public favorite.
It begins with the Gourd Dance, a low-key, drum-based event that traditionally opens a gathering. There is also the fast-moving Fancy dancing. The jingle competition for the ladies features jingle cones sewn onto their clothing. “That started out west as a healing,” Walden said.
“A Native American was given a vision to create this dress for his daughter because she was ill. It’s a prayer day on each cone, and as you make the dresses you have at least 365 cones, for 365 days of wellness.”
There is also Straight Dances, Women’s Cloth Dances, Tiny Tots Dances and Intertribal Dances, which is when the general public is invited to get on the floor and participate.
“We have pow-wow rules and etiquette posted at the door and in the programs,” Walden noted.
“We’re overwhelmed at the talent that came and the support that we got from 18 other tribes,” she went on. “That is a very powerful statement for our community and a confirmation that we’ve done our job well. To get to that level of talent and those numbers in the third year, I think it’s a tremendous testament to the pow-wow committee, the cultural department and our volunteers.”
Council members, past elected officials, pow-wow committee’s spouses and families, student scholarship recipients doing their community pay-back hours as well as individual tribal members pitched in to make the event so successful.
“We’d really love for the broader community to come out and experience it,” Walden concluded. “Five dollars is not a huge cost, for this type of experience. Numbers through the door really help us bring this back next year. Not having a (land) tax base and having federal funding cut makes it a challenge for the Tribe to do all of what we do. This is another expense. We’re not trying to make money, we’re just offset direct expenses so that we can continue holding the event for the community.”