Blog 13: My First Pow Wow

Dreamcatcher I bought from one of the vendors

         So, I had a pretty interesting cultural experience this past weekend—my friend Jennica and I went to our first pow wow. When I first spotted the advertisement hanging in the window of the Cannon Center, I imagined the 31^st Annual BYU Cedartree Pow Wow would be a life-changing event—magical and culturally enlightening. Needless to say, I was pretty pumped to be a part of the Pow Wow. Jennica was excited too (it was her idea to go in the first place) and so we made plans to head over to the ballroom in the WILK Saturday night at 6 pm.

         We prepared beforehand, looking up specifics about the event online, making sure we packed our ID cards, and bringing a little extra money so we could buy something from the vendors afterwards. When Jennica and I got to the ballroom, what we saw was not what I had expected. There were chairs surrounding the main floor and many of them were empty, although most of the empty chairs had jackets or bags set on them to indicate that they were saved. As we tried to find two open seats, I realized that Jennica and I were very much in the minority.  I guess I had not expected the Pow Wow to be such a family affair, but after listening to the announcer for a while it was clear that this particular Pow Wow consisted of a string of competitions (which helped to explain the number of families present). Many of the musicians and dancers were judged on their performances and awards were handed out at the end of the night.

         The performers were dressed in colorful, elaborately beaded costumes, with matching accessories, feathers, and moccasins. It was fascinating to see how much their modern forms of song and dance called upon elements of their ancestors’ lives. They seemed to have such a strong connection to their heritage and past.

Although I felt slightly alienated for most of the night, I gained a real admiration for the Native American people participating in the event and their devotion and respect for their present community and their ancestors.