Let's Talk GRAND ENTRYS

[TKMJ Productions]

Maybe there should be one Grand Entry to start the entire powwow, and then just call all dancers and singer when everyone is ready...and why can't we have dancing before noon or 11am? If, like a alot of contest powwows, the Jr and Teens contest during the day, it would be easier on them to contest in the earlier hours rather than the hottest time of day...just a wonder....

At our traditional powwows here, people just come in the morning, mill around and visit and eat, and when a drum group gets set up, they start to sing, and dancers start to dance.....sounds like a good idea to me...

I go to powwows for two main reasons. One is to do sound, the other is to dance. I wouldn't mind cranking up the sound system at sunrise on Saturday for a grand entry. We usually arrive on Friday evening and set up the sound anyway.

I look at it this way. When you go to a powwow, your living and sleep habits go to pot anyway. Your up all night talking with friends. You eat what you want whenever you want. Everyone is always inviting you into their camps and you are doing the same for others. In the daytime you are doing the same or in the circle dancing. Who cares if a drum wants to drum all night. If a drum wants to "hit it" with some good songs, then I want to make sure the sound system is up so people can dance.

Powwow is for dancing, good times, and friends. When we go, we try to take it to the max and get everything out of a powwow we can. Sleep is only an option some people take. I'm always up very late doing what I do, and in the morning, I'm up before sunrise ready to go! Not bad for being over a half century old.

I'll catch up on sleep during the week.

There have been times where we show up on Friday afternoon and have the sound system ready to go before supper. If a drum wants to start running tunes, then "let's have at it" right hear right now. Let's start the powwow NOW!!! I'M READY

Ken

[cherokee4068]

lets talk grand entry

My thought on grand entry is that it is some what of the rodeo style. However, I do believe that the front of the entry should be lead any elders followed by vets and then any royality and the rest of the dancers. I don't see any need for any flags but NDN nation flags would be exceptable.

[between2worlds]

I wouldn't mind cranking up the sound system at sunrise on Saturday for a grand entry.

Grand entry at sunrise would be awesome. One of my earliest memories of Grampa is of hearing him singing his morning song under the trees out back of the house.

[DancingCreek]

Regarless of the line up, when it is, how many there are there is one thing about them that really gets on my nerves and that is people not showing respect.
I've been in and seen grand entries where teens were laughing and gigling, running in and out of the circle, and talking. No one corrected them.
When they were near me I asked them to be quite but they ignored me.
I've even seen this behavior by adults. (Probably the parents of these teens.)
Weather you agree with grand entry or not, it is a part of the pow wow and you should show respect for it.

[TKMJ Productions]

Grand entry at sunrise would be awesome. One of my earliest memories of Grampa is of hearing him singing his morning song under the trees out back of the house.

Patrick,

I hear ya! You know what I'm talking about. The old days and old ways.

I'm into it!!!!

[between2worlds]

Patrick,

I hear ya! You know what I'm talking about. The old days and old ways.

I'm into it!!!!

yeah, let the young people stay up until dawn... they can go sleep after GE. Let us golden somethings dance up a good appetite.

We'll have lunch and the youngin's can call it breakfast. Sit in the shade and watch 'em dancing in the heat of the day.

Sing the sundown song and drift off to bed with our long time hunnies, wake up a couple of hours before dawn, stir the fire, start the coffee, laugh at the scattered remnants of the night's 9 and chivvy people into getting ready for another sunrise GE.

I started singing sunrise about 5 years ago. The words just came flying back to me from so long ago. I rarely miss a morning.

Grampa played a flute for sundown.... thinking here lately about learning to play my own self.

[TKMJ Productions]

Grampa played a flute for sundown.... thinking here lately about learning to play my own self.

Stop thinking and start DOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[wacip_sni]

GE Orgins

I just wanted to share another story of it's orgin.

The first grand entry was at the Cannon Ball, North Dakota summer powwow around 1971. The powwow committee put up prize money and the first night because they were waiting for everyone to show-up/ get ready, the powwow didn't get started until late that evening.

The powwow Committee President (I think his last name was Hollowhorn) decided to have a Grant Entry just like used in Rodeos. He did this the following day because he didn't want the late start with the contests and so they could end at a decent hour.

Thank you.

[between2worlds]

Stop thinking and start DOING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*grin* that would mean finding a cedar flute that has a nice low voice... kind of the same range as a mourning dove's call... which might take a while.

[TKMJ Productions]

*grin* that would mean finding a cedar flute that has a nice low voice... kind of the same range as a mourning dove's call... which might take a while.

May I suggest Kenny Light from Arlee Montana. Kenny is one of the best flute makers in the world as I see it. Nice guy too!

[between2worlds]

May I suggest Kenny Light from Arlee Montana. Kenny is one of the best flute makers in the world as I see it. Nice guy too!

I took a look at his website... awesome wood flutes. The endorsement from Nakai doesn't hurt neither.

I know a little about musical stuff (can read music, play a little piano and even a couple of different horns once upon a time), just nuthin' about flutes.. except the Grampa had a wood one and in one of the songs he liked to play he could make it sound so much like a mourning dove that they would answer him.

Too bad there isn't a wav file of what each flute sounds like on the website. That would make figuring out how many pennies I need sooooo much easier!

[TKMJ Productions]

I took a look at his website... awesome wood flutes. The endorsement from Nakai doesn't hurt neither.

I know a little about musical stuff (can read music, play a little piano and even a couple of different horns once upon a time), just nuthin' about flutes.. except the Grampa had a wood one and in one of the songs he liked to play he could make it sound so much like a mourning dove that they would answer him.

Too bad there isn't a wav file of what each flute sounds like on the website. That would make figuring out how many pennies I need sooooo much easier!

Forget wave files. They won't do justice to what Kenny has in his shop.

It's "Road Trip" time. Just pick up Interstate 80 west out of NYC. 80 connects with I-90 in Ohio. Keep on 90 for about 2100 miles then turn right on US 93 in Missoula Mt. Arlee is 18 miles or so north of Missoula. Can't miss it. OMG!!!!!!!!!! Arlee has gone urban. They have a traffic light now!!!!!


BTW: Pick me up on I -80 at Ohio Rt 8. I'll guide you from there.

It takes me 32 driving hours to get to his shop from where I'm at. For a flute and 2 of us driving, we can make it in less time.

It is worth the trip

We can make Arlee in 26 hours if I can find my brick that fits on top of the gas pedal. It's somewhere around here. LOL

[ajibik]

Now, Why Do We Have Grand Entries? What is the purpose?

Because If we DON'T have a grand entry, the dancers will get all mad and stuff.

[mindfyre]

It's all for show, isn't that sad...

I got another version about this.Grand entires were the idea of whiteman. Basically,to show off his Native human trophies. If this is true,then yes,it`s very sad.

[between2worlds]

I grabbed up two cheap (and I mean cheap) flutes at the BAIC pw this past weekend. One is small (and thus portable so I can carry it with me to while away the time between buses/trains on my daily commute) and the other has a medium deep voice and is a couple of feet long.

I got a good deal on the second flute - someone had started making it: got the main air channel, finger holes and such done. The mid section of it (where the finger holes are) is a half round with a flat back - the upper and lower sections are still the squared-off blank. I think the carver stopped because the mouth piece has decorative "ears" on each side of it and one of the ears snapped off during the carving.

If I practice every day I should be ready for the real deal next year.

Forget wave files. They won't do justice to what Kenny has in his shop.

It's "Road Trip" time. Just pick up Interstate 80 west out of NYC. 80 connects with I-90 in Ohio. Keep on 90 for about 2100 miles then turn right on US 93 in Missoula Mt. Arlee is 18 miles or so north of Missoula. Can't miss it. OMG!!!!!!!!!! Arlee has gone urban. They have a traffic light now!!!!!


BTW: Pick me up on I -80 at Ohio Rt 8. I'll guide you from there.

Lessee - I get 25 miles onna a charge, 8 hours downtime between charges - so 50 miles a day? So about 6 weeks to Missoula and another day or so to Arlee.

Do they let power chairs on the interstate? You can stand on the bar between the rear wheels! Top speed is a whopping 5mph....

It takes me 32 driving hours to get to his shop from where I'm at. For a flute and 2 of us driving, we can make it in less time.

It is worth the trip

Now I do have a driver's license (got rid of my cars a couple of years ago cuz they couldn't carry two wheel chairs) and as long as your trunk is big enough to hold the parts of my "Buggy", a road trip next year might be an option if you live anywhere near an Amtrak station.