Powwow Presentation

1. Middle School
Jordann McLain

2. An event in which friends and
family gather to celebrate
the seasonal renewal of life.
Inside look:
Traditional Pow Wow

3. Origin of the term
Prohibition of Powwows
Religious naming and honoring ceremonies

4. June through September
Go “on the circuit”:
Travel
Camping
Visiting friends
Share
Native foods
Beadwork
Pottery

6. Blessed by elder members of the tribe to
clear negative spirits and influences
Burning of tobacco or sage
Prayers and songs
Symbolism of Organization
http://www.neo
am.cc.ok.us/~co
ntinued/images/
Powwow.jpg
Picture
link:

7. Grand opening of the ceremony
The Eagle Staff is brought into the circle,
followed by the American, Canadian, and tribal
flags. Any title holders from tribal pageants,
etc are next. The men are next in the order as
follows: traditional dancers, grass dancers,
fancy shawl dancers and jingle dress dancers.
Junior boys, then junior girls follow in the
same order. Last come the little boys and the
little girls.
The dancers perform clockwise around the
arbor. Their steps signify their identity and
importance.

8. Men’s traditional dance
Men’s grass dance
Men’s fancy dance
Jingle dress dance
Intertribal dance
http://www.bl
uecloud.org/po
wwow.html
Informational
link:

9. Recorded never written
Learned by singers and dancers both
Traditional: very important
Types
Different for each ceremony
Sung in:
Native tongue
English “vocables” or sounds that replace words

10. Important symbol to Native American culture
Represents harmony and peace, among other
things. The formation of a Powwow is a circle,
representing the harmony, peace, and circle of
life of their people.
DO NOT “Cross the Circle”
http://www
.artmaxine.
com/images
/Circle.jpg
Picture
link:

11. “To Dakota and most Native Americans, the
eagle feather is sacred. When one falls from a
dancer's outfit, the powwow stops and a
ceremony is performed to restore the feather's
lost power for good. Four traditional dancers,
usually veterans, dance around the feather
from four directions and usually attack four
times to retrieve it. While traditions differ
among tribes, four is a sacred number for all
tribes.”
http://www.blu
ecloud.org/pow
wow.html
Link for
Quote:

12. Browner, T. (2002). Heartbeat of the People:
Music and Dance of the Northern Pow-Wow.
Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois
Press.
Roberts, C. (1998). Powwow Country: People
of the Circle. Missoula, MT: Meadowlark.
http://fsst.org/fsst_powwows.html
http://www.bluecloud.org/powwow.html
PICTURES:
GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCHES
Links on each PowerPoint page