Memphis Tia Piah

[Headsmen]

IF there are any members of the Memphis Tia Piah on here Please respond to this post

[Smiling Badger]

Brother:

Still trying to figure out the significance of the bees coming into the circle last weekend.

Any thoughts on the subject?

Smiling Badger

[park]

Can't resist

What are talking about?

[CEM]

How many members do you guys have?

Do you have an annual gourd dance?

CEM

[Headsmen]

Them Bees were brought by them Comanches:D
We have about 150 members and our newest members are Billy Evens Horse and Kinney Gimmesaddle.
Our annual is in the first weekend in April at Memean Shelby Forrest in Memphis TN.

[Okwataga]

Not a member just curious what tia piah are?is?

[MuzeBl]

Well, there's a park near Anadarko, OK by that name. I went to a GREAT powwow over there! It was my first REAL powwow and boy was it GREAT! Cozad was drumming and there were two other drum groups. Awsome gourd dancing there as well.

[Headsmen]

Tia Piah means honored warrior society. They protect the circle and the Native American Church and in the old days helped prepare the sun dance circle.This is where all the gourd dance songs come from. :chief:

[park]

Hmmm

With all due respect, "Tia-piah" does not mean "honored warrior society." I bet you know that, though.

Where have you heard that the Tia-piah protects the NAC?

One last question, are you saying the gourd dances songs are sun dance songs?

Just wonderin'

[Smiling Badger]

MEMPHIS TIA PIAH SOCIETY

The Memphis Tia Piah Society is a daughter society of the Kiowa Tia Piah Society, one of the oldest warrior societies in the Americas. Our traditions are therefore Kiowa.

The literal meaning of Tia Piah is debatable. The creed of the Memphis Tia Piah Society is TY-Piah-AH-Gaw which translates:
"UNAFRAID OF DEATH". One could translate Tia Piah as "unafraid".

Researchers indicate that the Gourd dance was revived by the Kiowa in the middle 1950s as a way to honor Tribal members who had served in WWII and Korea. It was instantly imbraced by the Kiowa, Comanche, Cheyenne, Arapaho and the Ponca. Historians have said that many of the Kiowa Gourd Dance Societies were originally made up of descendants of Satanta (White Bear)

It would be a stretch to say that the Gourd Dance is similar to the Sun Dance. It is a dance for warriors, but even the sun dance is observed in various ways by different tribes.
Hope this helps. Smiling Badger

[Billy Two Hawks]

Headsman,
I'm a member and proud of it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[R I Whiteside]

Gourd Dancing

Hau, Kola Park

Gourd dancing never has been a part of the annual Sun Dance. Beside being a most sacred cerimony, in the old days it was a time when everyone came together with a lot of fellowship and feasting in addition to the religious aspects of the event. Then, in a deliberate event to wipe out NDN culture, the U.S. Government forbid the Sun Dance. In some places Sundancing continued in secret, in other places it died out to be revived only recently. However, there was still a cultural need for a family reunion / gathering of the tribe / cultural activity. Gourd dancing by warrior societies filled the need for a social activity until the old warriors had mostly all crossed over.

Only after the World Wars when young men returned from combat back to the rez was gourd dancing revived. Veterans who gourd dance now enjoy the companship of fellow warriors, but since most of us also remember our comarades who never returned, it also has high spiritual aspects.

Although I'm not a Tia Phai member, I try to drive up every year to dance with them and do honor their organization.

Since I "have shaker and will travel" they help me to
keep 'smilin. I wish the same for you.

Aho.

[BRGOURD]

Well, now that I am back in the world again ( good or bad ?) , I'd like to invite R I Whiteside, Park and anyone and everyone else to the Millington Powwow in November.... more dtails later. We can then discuss these matters at length.

Headsmen, was that a great trip or what ???
Billy Two Hawks, Smiling Badger...... looking forward to seeing you BOTH out there.... send me a PM and we will discuss...

RI... "have shaker will travel" that is CLASSIC !!!!!

Just my thoughts for the day.... have a nice one yourselves.

[LWB]

Just wanted to say Aho ! to park on behalf of my wife,kids & my Kiowa family . I guess when people see the fans , rattles & blankets they think gourd has something to do with the N.A.C. infact it has little to do with it, other than some people belong to both. In Cherokee Gourd we are asked not to use real gourds (or anything that belongs to church) into the dance grounds out of respect for the church. I was at Memphis Powwow about Five years ago When Cherokee Gourd was host ,our headsmen went to the M.C. & asked that all gourd dancers please put there real gourds away & not to bring their medicine into the dance grounds,
this was done in a respectful way, but there were some people who would not(& they were members of menphis t.p. one was there headman). I am not a member of the N.A.C. but many of my family & friends are & it's like one of them said " protecting the N.A.C. the N.A.C.needs more attorneys & understanding legislators , than it needs menphis t.p..
Once agian AHO Park

[Smiling Badger]

MEMPHIS TIA PIAH SOCIETY

Siyo LWB:

I am a member of the Memphis Tia Piah Society. It was an honor for me to Gourd Dance with the Cherokee Gourd at the Bell Pow Wow 2 years ago and at the Annual Celebration in Tahlequah last year. I hope to Gourd Dance with them in Tahlequah this labor day week end as well.

We were very pleased to accept Billy Evans Horse, Chairman of the Kiowa Nation into the Memphis Tia Piah Society at our annual gathering last April. Chairman Evans Horse will be Head Singer at the Millington Pow Wow to be held the first week end in November.

On behalf of the Memphis Tia Piah Society, I would like to invite you to the Millington, TN Pow Wow. The Memphis Tia Piah will be the host Gourd Society. We welcome you brother.

Smiling Badger