I'm pretty certain that this topic has been talked to death, but it is an issue that needs to be clarified...and pretty quickly before things get waaay out of hand:
Why do the larger powwows charge ALL people except the very young and the elderly, an admission price? Which tribe's tradition was that borrowed from? I can totally understand if the powwow HAD to be held at a large arena like Denver March and Gathering of Nations; it would help defray the cost of using the building and paying for clean up crews and security, and all that. BUT, I can't understand why powwow committees are charging at their hometown arenas. This doesn't seem like a good, respectful way to treat the People, especially if they travel long distances to attend, which leads to the success of the powwow. It seems to me that a powwow should not be a money making venture for tribes and other organizations. It is an important way to keep our traditions alive and to reassert ourselves as the keepers of those traditions. It makes me feel so, so sad to see families spend so much money just to get in a gate to a powwow that is fenced in against the people who can't afford to come in. A Fence and a Gate.....disturbing.....
A family that recently went to the Oglala Lakota Nation powwow in South Dakota spent $175.00 JUST getting in...that included all the young kids who were over 5 and the adults under the elderly age. Are you SERIOUS??? This is a traditional family that scrimps and saves all year long just to be able to feed and clothe themselves...and they have to pay that much money just to enjoy the powwow that bears their tribal name. And yet, when you get inside there are people standing up spouting off about the importance of traditional things, and how we have to respect and respect and respect each other......give me a cash loan, please, so I can come join in on the "respect" and bring my family along......
