Ways of the People

This past Thursday I went to the 5th Annual Celebration of the People powwow. I had been to powwows before that were very fun and this one was no exception. I have always been a fan of Native American cultures. I remember being a little kid and watching movies like Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans and Geronimo (all of which have Wes Studi in them, usually the bad guy, but still a great actor and one of my favs.) The Native American people, in my opinion are one of the most interesting groups in the world. Completely cut of off from the wars of Europe and Asia, the western civilizations moved on in peace with the earth although not always with each other. Never inventing gunpowder, steel, or even horseback riding, they retained a Stone-age culture til the days of the early Renaissance. And when the white man first came and gave them all gave them these things, they had a Renaissance of their own. Tribes emerged from nowhere with new lifestyles and beliefs. And even though they have been all but annihilated, they still hold onto their ancient ways.

The powwow is a gathering of members of all the different tribes and a celebration of this incredible culture. The powwow celebration was held at the Texas State student center. For hours I watched as tribal dances took place from tribes like Apache, Comanche, Navajo and even Aztec. The walkway was lined with tents selling goods like dream catchers, authentic carvings and animal hides. There were the typical factory made pieces that sold for cheap and the perfectly accurate dance costumes selling for hundreds of dollars, and sold they did. I even picked up Cherokee tomahawk, South American style spear complete with python skin talismans and a few dream catchers to send off as Xmas presents. But as with any cultural event, it's the people that get my attention. The woman I met buying dream catchers was Navajo and had driven all the way from Arizona. Her pieces were perfectly authentic with deer sinew netting and Turquoise stone in the center to give it its magical properties. For those unfamiliar with dream catchers, the southwestern Native Americans believed that dreams were communications with the spirit world. Good dreams were being sent to you from your ancestors while nightmares were evil spirits. A dream-catcher was a magical tool used to filter the dreams you could receive. It would allow the good dreams to pass through the net while the nightmares would be caught.

The dance performances were separated by storytellers. This may be the heart of Native American culture in my opinion. Their stories are unlike any other culture I know with their reverence for the earth and all her creatures. I love the tales they would tell that would explain the things we've always wondered like why do dogs and coyotes howl at the moon, how did the birds get their feathers and who made the first reed flute.

One of my favorites is one about why owls have big eyes, no necks and can turn their heads. On the day that the creator was going to make all the birds different, Owl looked over his shoulder at to learn how the creator was doing this. The Creator then snatched Owl and squashed his head down making his eyes bulge out and giving him no neck at all. Owl can still turn his head but maybe now he won't try and peek at other peoples work.

The one thing that really moved me was the level of pride these people have in themselves. And the thing that touched me the most was not even rehearsed; it just happened right before me.

The last story teller was an old Apache woman. After her story was over she decided to give a speech about how important it was to remember who they are and where they come from. At the same time a young man who had just arrived from class. At first he looked just like any other Texas State student. He was wearing Khakis and a Polo. He proceeded to set all of his books down and then began to change out of his "white man" clothes into his full traditional Apache garb he was wearing underneath: buckskin pants, tanned moccasins and even a bone breast plate. At this point the speaker began to cry as she watched him, not that this young man, who was also Apache, was dressed the same as any normal "American" college student, but that at the same time he had worn the clothes of his people underneath. "When I see things like this young man here in front of me," said the woman breaking away from her prepared speech. "I know that we as a people will always be here." The scene struck home for me. I remember how few of these people are left in our world. It would be the greatest shame for all of humanity if their ways lived on only in history books. But like the speaker, I too felt relieved to see that the young man and so many others at the powwow refusing to let this way of life slip into the folds of time.