Powwow

To be an Indian in contemporary America means that you have a rich heritage and that you also have to fight to keep that heritage alive. Some ways that you keep that heritage alive is to go to Powwows. According to Anton Treuer in his book, Everything You Wanted to Know About Indians but Were Afraid to Ask, “powwows are primarily dance events” which are secular and “open to people of all tribes, genders, ages, and races” (Treuer, 68). Powwows are also sober environments, no drugs and alcohol are allowed on the premises. Powwows do a lot to continue on the traditional dances of Native Americans, and many have dance competitions where winners receive prize money. According to the video we watched called Wacipi Powwow about a powwow in Minnesota,
Different regalia, not costumes, are worn during different dances, the Jingle Dress dance for example has bells made out of tobacco tin tops and bottoms formed into a cone-like shape. The video also showed how powwows generate a sense of community, because during the summer Native American families sometimes go to a different powwow each weekend and form bonds with people, some people even meet their future wife or husband at powwows. Another way contemporary Native Americans preserve their tradition is to preserve their language. Many Native American tribes have been trying to preserve their language by creating online programs to teach their language to the younger generation like the Arikara tribe. Others like the Navajo are preserving both their language and their traditional stories by creating children’s shows like the Raven Tales which tell stories like how the first Navajo came to be in the Navajo language, and creating episodes of the Berenstein Bears in the Navajo language. Part of being Indian in contemporary America means taking on this responsibility to yourself and your people to carry on traditions that were preserved during the years of colonization and