The powwow

What it is

The dancing takes place in a circular arena. Around it sit the drums. A drum here means both the large instrument and the group of singers who sit around it and play it together. Dancers wear regalia, clothing made by hand over years, often with pieces given by family. The dances fall into styles, each with its own regalia and history: for men, traditional, grass and fancy; for women, traditional, jingle dress and fancy shawl. Intertribal songs invite everyone into the arena.

Where it comes from

The word comes from an Algonquian language of the north-east, where it referred to a spiritual leader or healer. English speakers later used it for any Native gathering. The modern powwow grew largely from the dances of warrior societies of the Plains nations in the nineteenth century. These spread from nation to nation during the reservation era, when governments in the United States and Canada tried to suppress Native ceremonies. In the twentieth century the powwow became a shared event across many nations.

How it works

Each session opens with the Grand Entry. Everyone stands as veterans carry in eagle staffs and flags, followed by the dancers in order of style and age. A prayer and an honouring song follow. Then come intertribal dances, contests judged on timing and footwork, and special dances held by families to honour a person or mark an event. At a contest powwow, dancers must stop exactly on the last beat of the drum. A giveaway of gifts may close an honouring.

If you go

1. Check the powwow's public notice for times of Grand Entry. Arrive before it.
2. Bring a folding chair. The benches nearest the arena are kept for dancers and their families.
3. Listen to the master of ceremonies, who says when to stand, when visitors may dance and when cameras must be put away.
4. Join an intertribal dance when it is announced as open to all.
5. Buy food and crafts from the vendors. It supports the families who travel the circuit.

Good manners

• Say regalia, not costume, and never touch it without permission.
• Ask before photographing a dancer, and do not record when asked not to.
• Stand and remove your hat during the Grand Entry and honouring songs.
• Do not walk across the arena or approach the drums uninvited.
• Alcohol and drugs have no place at a powwow.

What is danced

Fancy danceA fast, athletic Native American dance performed at powwows by men and women in colorful regalia.Jingle dress danceA healing pow wow dance for women, performed in a dress adorned with metal cones that jingle as they move.Gourd DanceA ceremonial circle dance of the Kiowa people, marked by strict regalia and songs honoring a red wolf.Native American Hoop DanceA solo dance using multiple hoops to form shapes of animals and the cycle of life.

Also part of it, and being written: Grass dance.

Sources and further reading

• Powwow on Wikipedia
• Britannica: Powwow
• Gathering of Nations