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Head dancers
What are your thoughts on white head dancers? I've seen a few, they start small and unintrusive then all the sudden they claim a tribe and are at every powwow. I think it's disrespectful even if their regalia and steps are perfect. :reallymad
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So, did you card them?"The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name. They don't want to be known as a team that perpetuates racial stereotypes. From now on they're just going to be called the Indians." - Native Comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, Colville/Lakota -
Who asked them? The head staff????
~~Saponi~~ Comment
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If there are non-native head dancers, it's the committees problem. Personally, I woulda left and never went back. The committee is the one with a problem.Comment
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Off With Their Heads!
How dare that Committee choose a Wasicu over us.....OHEE!
I know call up Eddie D. and Protest! That's it...hoka!
Lighten up people.....No..No pun intended...."She also has a very soft skin. The only trouble with snake women is they copulate with horses, which makes them strange to me. She say's she doesn't. That's why I call her "Doesn't Like Horses". But, of course, she's lying."
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I agree with Spirit of Seattle; how do you know their "white"? There's plenty of native people running around that look white to me. A couple years ago; a navajo lady I was talking to, told me that another woman we both knew must have too much "Custer" in her, that's why she was rude to us. That's the first time I ever heard that one.Comment
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:rofl2: How funny! I've never heard that expression either... Bad enough that my brother lives on a street in Spokane called 'SOUTH CUSTER'. He will NEVER live that down...
To borrow an expression of a friend of mine, he says California, Oregon and Washington are full of 'White Indians' and he's not meaning "wannabe's" when he says that, just that with assimilation some of us are 'Whiter' than others......."The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name. They don't want to be known as a team that perpetuates racial stereotypes. From now on they're just going to be called the Indians." - Native Comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, Colville/LakotaComment
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I disagree. Theres plenty of dark Natives around here on my rez lots of us are full bloods, but there are Natives on other rez's that are barely 1/2 or below. Those are the ones that look white, yes their ancestors assimilated and fell in love with a white person, hear it a lot on here.Originally posted by Spirit of Seattle
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It may have been his expression, but having lived in Oregon and CaliforniaI do know about how mixed the tribes are. I've been going to pow-wows up there for several years and there are people of all quantums that are much lighter. That's just the way it is.Originally posted by KakeeyaI disagree. Theres plenty of dark Natives around here on my rez lots of us are full bloods, but there are Natives on other rez's that are barely 1/2 or below. Those are the ones that look white, yes their ancestors assimilated and fell in love with a white person, hear it a lot on here."The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name. They don't want to be known as a team that perpetuates racial stereotypes. From now on they're just going to be called the Indians." - Native Comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, Colville/LakotaComment
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I won't take up for the other rez's but I know here at Warm Springs, we still have a lot of Natives that look like natives. We're one of the only tribes in Oregon (besides Umatilla) that still has a firm strong grasp of our Native ways and culture.Originally posted by Spirit of Seattle
AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS!!Comment
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You know, I wasn't making negative statements about how NDN anybody was; we were talking about complexion and making the assumption that someone 'light' wasn't NDN, so relax.Originally posted by Kakeeya"The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name. They don't want to be known as a team that perpetuates racial stereotypes. From now on they're just going to be called the Indians." - Native Comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, Colville/LakotaComment
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You did come across as making a negative blanket statement. One of those states has my Nation in it so of course I'm gonna take up for us. I'm sure anyone from Yakama and the other tribes in Washington would get offended by your statements too.Originally posted by Spirit of Seattle
I don't think any of us here that are full bloods look white.Comment
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Tru Dat!Originally posted by KakeeyaComment
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Cool, Kakeeya I agree with you that that could be conceived as a negative blanket statement too. As I grew up down by Chiloquin; and part Springer myself, and have 2 first cousins that live and grew up in Warmsprings. I also see that alot of natives off of those reservations are more mixed and somewhat losing their identity. I grew up there; and my granny used to drag us to all those places you mentioned, and yes for the most part most everyone was dark skinned. I for one noticed that much of the light skinned people, that claim native blood, tend to be from the East Coast, with the exception of a very few. I just wanted to get across that I've met people who are very light skinned; who know all the right ways. Just as a blanket statement about assuming Oregon and Washington is full of light skinned natives is down right absurd to you and I. It's just as absurd to presume some head-dancer that looks white; "is" white. Spirit of Seattle; I'm curious as to what powwows you and/or your friend have attended, because there is a big difference between gatherings on and off the reservations.Comment
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The original statement was about 'white' colored folks being head dancers and how dare they.
I responded 'did you card them'? Meaning how do you know they weren't NDN, and enrolled.
I then said my friend joked about the differences in coloring. He wasn't being derogatory either, just making an observation. He is a very dark FBI and members of even his own family come in a range of hues.
My words are being twisted to infer that I offered insult to members of tribes in WA, OR, CA.
I did not and I don't appreciate being told I did.
I wasn't commenting on quantum ( "I don't think any of us here that are full bloods look white.")
or specific tribes; I was sharing a comment by a friend.
And, I'm sorry, but my experience at pow-wows at, say, Siletz and Grand Ronde--just to name two--there were alot of lighter skinned dancers.
Again, the original comment was about 'White' colored folk being head dancers.
And I say, again, why assume they are White in race? THAT'S ALL I SAID."The Cleveland Indians are going to change their name. They don't want to be known as a team that perpetuates racial stereotypes. From now on they're just going to be called the Indians." - Native Comedian Vaughn Eaglebear, Colville/LakotaComment
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I remember not too long ago, the concept of head dancers was not present in Canada. This did not hurt attendance or hinder these celebrations.
Recently some powwows have begun to pick new head dancers daily. In my opinion this allows more participation and saves powwow committees money...04-25-2008, 01:11 PM -
Question: Should experienced dancers be choosen as head dancers and have then Jr. Dancers? Or should the older more experienced dancers come behind the Jr. dancers?
Reason asking : We put on the "Honoring Our Children" Powwow in Richmond Indiana, where we have experienced dancers...06-09-2006, 04:39 PM -
Is the head staff necessary and vital to the success of a powwow?
If some are and some aren't, which ones?
For instance, could a powwow work without host singers and head dancers?09-14-2006, 03:25 PM -
Should princess's and head lady dancers be allowed to contest?
Is this an unfair advantage to other dancers?
Is it tacky?04-12-2005, 05:01 PM -
Greetings.
We have opened a new forum to exchange information and discuss all the positions of the Head Staff.
Included under this heading are:
1. Head Dancers (male, female, jrs. etc.)
2. Host and Invited Drums
3. Head Singers (usually a southern...11-22-2004, 09:48 AM
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