Article: 882 of sgi.talk.ratical From: (dave "who can do? ratmandu!" ratcliffe) Subject: some history of the powwow Summary: alternative visions of ways of life can help us all regain connection Keywords: the beat of the drum are heart-beats & once all danced to its rhythm Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc. Date: Tue, 27 Oct 1992 17:55:31 GMT Lines: 174 . . . the Powwow offers . . . a chance to see the world from another perspective, one which looks to dance and song as the essence of life: ... the Indian wants to dance! It is his way of expressing devotion, of communing with unseen power, and in keeping his tribal identity. When the Lakota heart was filled with high emotion, he danced. When he felt the benediction of the warming rays of the sun, he danced. When his blood ran hot with success of the hunt or chase, he danced. When his heart was filled with pity for the orphan, the lonely father, or bereaved mother, he danced. ... Did dancing mean much to the white people they would better understand ours. Yet at the same time there is no attraction that brings people from such distances as a certain tribal dance, for the reason that the white mind senses its mystery, for even the white man's inmost feelings are unconsciously stirred by the beat of the tomtom. They are heart-beats, and once all men danced to its rhythm. [Luther Standing Bear, Land of the Spotted Eagle, 1933] although this is from over a year, it isn't any less timely. i've been going back thru stuff i've saved out "along the way" and trying to cull things that feel like they shud be sent on. -- ratitor from NativeNet: Date: Wed, 28 Aug 91 15:28:19 -0400 From: NativeNet@gnosys.svle.ma.us Newsgroups: gen.nativenet Reply-To: nn.general@gnosys.svle.ma.us Subject: POWWOW (history) >From: dErrico@legal.umass.edu (Peter d'Errico) The following is an article I wrote for publication in a local paper, announcing our 9th annual Powwow. In it, I discuss the history of Powwow in a way that I think may be of interest to NativeNet readers. I would appreciate any comments. *************************************************************** POWWOW: DEVIL WORSHIP OR HEALING SPIRIT? by Peter d'Errico, Legal Studies & American Indian Studies "We belong to Earth; Earth does not belong to us." Chief Seattle, 1854 WHAT: Ninth Annual American Indian Powwow WHERE: Hampshire College WHEN: 13-15 September This Powwow will be the first to be held away from the University campus, in recognition of the growing support for American Indian studies throughout the Five Colleges. The Powwow will bring together dancers, drummers and singers from several American Indian nations for a weekend of celebration and exchange, open to all people without charge. Vendors will offer American Indian foods, crafts, books and other items for sale. Those who have attended a Powwow know the excitement of the drum and the dancing, and know, too, the feeling of shared spirit that pervades the Powwow grounds. Students of American Indian culture can learn much from a Powwow. Some dances reflect long spiritual or social tradition; others are the outgrowth of modern tribal experience. The drum represents the heart of the people; it is the universal instrument. The songs express all facets of human experience. The Powwow has roots that extend deep into the history of indigenous life on this continent. It has been said that the contemporary Powwow is a "pan-Indian" ceremonial practice, which serves to preserve continuity with old traditions from a variety of tribal groups. [Sam D. Gill, Native American Religions, 1982] From this perspective, what we see in the Powwow is an affirmation of being "Indian" that transcends specific national identities. As a "pan-Indian" ceremony, the Powwow is one response to the 500-year history of genocide in the Americas, bringing together threads of common cultural meanings into a vibrant and assertive presence. Perhaps the most profound cultural meaning embodied in the Powwow is health, spiritual and physical. Herein lies the significance of the stamina of the dancers, the power of endurance of the drummers and singers, the concentrated attention of the onlook- ers. "Powwow" is the word used by Narragansett and Wampanoag peoples to refer to what would also be called their "shaman" healers or "medicine" persons. Seventeenth-century accounts are filled with stories of the powwows and their power to cure individuals and to lead communities. These stories describe the dancing, drumming and singing that accompanied the work of the powwow and were themselves referred to as a powwow. The healing powers and community leadership associated with Wampanoag and Narragansett "powwows" became an early target of colonial ministers and administrators. No less a figure than Governor Edward Winslow of Plymouth attacked powwows as agents and activities of the devil [Howard S. Russell, Indian New England Before the Mayflower, 1980]; sorcery and witchcraft were asserted by Puritans as an excuse for violent intolerance of the powwows. In 1646, the Massachusetts General Court decreed "that no Indian shall at any time pawwaw, or perform outward worship to their false gods, or to the devil." [Francis Jennings, The Invasion of America, 1975] Colonial policy toward powwows can be seen as an extension of the Christian campaign to eradicate indigenous religions -- particularly Earth-centered religions -- in Europe. The colonial association of powwow with witchcraft persists to the present day in standard dictionary definitions of "powwow." Powwow has another set of meanings, derived from the community activity that is part of the powwow. Feasting, talking, ex- change -- a combination of formal and informal council -- are as much a part of powwow as are the central ceremonial events. It is here that we find a more congenial Anglo-European understanding of indigenous cultures; and this understanding also persists in the modern definition of "powwow" as a meeting, conference, or discussion. The Five College community is fortunate to be a Powwow site. The world continues to see indigenous peoples being destroyed; some of this destruction, though it is described (in the new lingo of war) as "collateral" to industrialization, is clearly intentional -- the result of policy choices consciously made. In the midst of this continuing global attack on "tribal" peoples, we are moving toward the 500th anniversary of Anglo-European adventurism on this continent. There will be many official "celebrations" of this date. What the Powwow offers is a chance to see the world from another perspective, one which looks to dance and song as the essence of life: ... the Indian wants to dance! It is his way of expressing devotion, of communing with unseen power, and in keeping his tribal identity. When the Lakota heart was filled with high emotion, he danced. When he felt the benediction of the warming rays of the sun, he danced. When his blood ran hot with success of the hunt or chase, he danced. When his heart was filled with pity for the orphan, the lonely father, or bereaved mother, he danced. ... Did dancing mean much to the white people they would better understand ours. Yet at the same time there is no attraction that brings people from such distances as a certain tribal dance, for the reason that the white mind senses its mystery, for even the white man's inmost feelings are unconsciously stirred by the beat of the tomtom. They are heart-beats, and once all men danced to its rhythm. [Luther Standing Bear, Land of the Spotted Eagle, 1933] ***************************************** Peter d'Errico Legal Studies Department University of Massachusetts/Amherst 01003 phone: 413-545-2003 fax: 413-545-1640 email: derrico@legal.umass.edu ***************************************** -- daveus rattus yer friendly neighborhood ratman KOYAANISQATSI ko.yaa.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language) n. 1. crazy life. 2. life in turmoil. 3. life out of balance. 4. life disintegrating. 5. a state of life that calls for another way of living.