So what is the history with pow wow?

Question

i am native american but my tribes dont and never have danced pow wow. i just cant see natives having access to colorful ribbons and beads thousands of years ago so why the h**l do people think so highly of it?

Answer 1

Your tribes probably like Halloween and Christmas. Pow Wow is just an occasion for a get together, party and dance. I bet your people never lived in teepees either, but they're cool too. You can spend half the year, at least in the West, going from Pow Wow to Pow Wow and meet lots of interesting people and see lots of country.

I'll tell you what Native American had thousands of years ago what would blow the socks off of modern people, furs and lots of them.

As to the history of the Pow Wow, although the word is Narragansett, it seems to be a modern tradition, for all tribes.

Answer 2

It gets the tribe together to celebrate their nationality and make the whole tribe feel stronger as one. Way back when they may not have had access to colorfully beads and ribbons but they had feathers, dried berries and shells to ornate themselves. Back int he older days they had pow wows to celebrate the victory or return of warriors gone to fight for their people. Along with the dancing there are stories told, a feast and many ceremonies.    I got this information form my Mi'maw class so if it's not accurate......I'm sorry.

Answer 3

The word Pow Wow, or pau wau, means a gathering of people coming together to trade. Explorers misinterpreted the ceremony of medicine men dancing, thinking all natives gathered to sing and dance in this manner.

The tradition of First Nations dance is ancient. Originally, some dances were performed before the warriors left the tribe to hunt, raid, or do battle. While the men were away, the ladies would prepare their best buckskin dresses and accessories to wear on anticipation of the party's return. This was to show honour and pride for their men. Dances were also performed when they returned, to celebrate their success. As the men arrived into the camp, the women would stand in rows, yelling and trilling for their warrior.

This is the origin of the old style of women's Traditional Dance; standing in one place, keeping time with the drum by moving their feet up and down.

Pow Wow elders have been told by their grandfathers and grandmothers that the men did most of the dancing, only in recent decades have the women been accepted to dance among the men in the sacred circle.

Hand drums and log poles were often used to provide a beat. The tribe was constantly travelling to follow the seasonal migration, making large drums hard to care for and transport. Most songs were passed down from generation to generation; some having special words that belonged to a certain tribe or nation, some containing no words. Each song is sung for a special event. There are special songs sung for traditional and fancy dance, as well as different styles of dancing, such as the Owl Dance Song.

Upon contact with the Europeans, most native cultures were holding pow wows, or gatherings of celebration less and less. The pow wow is a time for renewing old friendships and making new ones. Wars were put aside to celebrate in unison. Trappers and native designers were welcome to set up their ware for the dancers wanting to purchase material and accessories to design their regalia; as it is a great pride to design you own outfit.

You can read the history of pow wow here :-

http://www.crystalinks.com/powwow.html