Me-n-Park was chewing the fat in the Gourd Dance section and I came up with this Subject.
During the summer, the Kiowa Gourd Clan hosts their annual celebration. Now, I have seen the gourd dance all across the Southern States and in Montana. In all these places I have observed both black and white people participating.
A few years back I had the distinct pleasure to travel down to Oklahoma with some Indian friends. I was very interested to observe this Kiowa celebration and the Kiowa people - who are generally recognized as the originators of this dance.
The Kiowa people were very gracious to me and in its purist form, this was indeed a very strict dance. I observed: Kiowa people dressed in their finest regalia (no ball caps or teeshirts), a spirit of genuine respect of the arena and certain ceremonies that went unexplained. But the most noticible was the lack of participating non-Indians! (I was later told that you have to be Indian to participate there).
I have also heard of regular powwows in the Midwest and East where you have to pocess an "Indian Card" to participate. I consider myself respectful and I just like to dance (and sing when someone invites me to).
DOE'S EXCLUDING NON-INDIANS REALLY MAKE A BETTER POWWOW AND/OR CEREMONY (like the gourd dance)?
During the summer, the Kiowa Gourd Clan hosts their annual celebration. Now, I have seen the gourd dance all across the Southern States and in Montana. In all these places I have observed both black and white people participating.
A few years back I had the distinct pleasure to travel down to Oklahoma with some Indian friends. I was very interested to observe this Kiowa celebration and the Kiowa people - who are generally recognized as the originators of this dance.
The Kiowa people were very gracious to me and in its purist form, this was indeed a very strict dance. I observed: Kiowa people dressed in their finest regalia (no ball caps or teeshirts), a spirit of genuine respect of the arena and certain ceremonies that went unexplained. But the most noticible was the lack of participating non-Indians! (I was later told that you have to be Indian to participate there).
I have also heard of regular powwows in the Midwest and East where you have to pocess an "Indian Card" to participate. I consider myself respectful and I just like to dance (and sing when someone invites me to).
DOE'S EXCLUDING NON-INDIANS REALLY MAKE A BETTER POWWOW AND/OR CEREMONY (like the gourd dance)?
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