Summer season for Indian powwows

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Summer season for Indian powwows

By JILL FITZSIMMONS
Herald Valley bureau

TOPPENISH - The Old West lives on in Eastern Washington and Oregon through the music and dancing of the Northwest tribes.

The spirit of Indian traditions will be heard pounding at powwows sponsored by the tribes throughout the summer. And the Fourth of July weekend brings some of the largest powwows in the Yakima Valley and Eastern Oregon.

Highlights this weekend include the Toppenish and the Wildhorse Gaming Resort powwows.

In its 64th year, the Toppenish powwow includes an Indian village with 50 authentic teepees, Indian dancing, traditional stick games and booths offering fry bread and crafts.

On Sept. 19-22, Lonnie Selam, Yakama Nation religious leader and tribal councilman, will serve as powwow director of the National Indian Days Powwow in White Swan, which attracts about 600 people.

Selam points out that since the 1960s, when he used to dance, powwows have changed, becoming more community-oriented than religious.

And powwows, a slang word for the celebrations, also have become commercialized by the prize money paid to the best dancers and drummers, he said.

A tradition from Canadian and Plains Indian tribes, the powwow wasn't introduced to Pacific Northwest tribes until the turn of the century, Selam said.

In most cases, a powwow brought people together to commemorate veterans or celebrate an occasion such as the signing of a treaty. The dances of the past also had strict traditions, with people following specific steps, he said.

Most of the dances at powwows in the Pacific Northwest are taken from the Plains Indian tribes. However, some popular courtships dances, such as the Owl and Rabbit dances, originated from the Northwest tribes, he said.

Selam explains these dances have legends behind them. For example, the Owl Dance comes from a tale about a new husband who is extremely jealous of his wife. He couldn't stand to watch her talk or dance with other men, so the people planned to trick him.

They would allow only the tribal women to pick their dance partners, and the women weren't allowed to pick their spouses -leaving the wife able to socialize, Selam said. The tradition continues today.

The trick gave the people a laugh as they watched the man's head swivel around like an owl, trying to keep an eye on his wife, Selam said.

Along with learning something about specific dances, viewers should get to know the different styles of dancing and costumes, Selam advises. For example:

-- Traditional dancers wear the natural costumes of their ancestors. Men wear such things as round, eagle feather bustles, and women wear buckskin dresses decorated with shells. Their steps are hard and heavy.

-- Fancy dancers wear more modern colors and materials. Men and women wear silk outfits with ribbons and feathers. Women also wear shawls. Their steps also are lighter.

-- Male grass dancers wear costumes of yarn with tall feathers atop their heads that sway with their steps. The costumes once were made of grass. This dance is new, originating with the Plains tribes in the 1970s.

-- Female jingle dancers wear dresses covered with rolled lids from chewing tobacco tins that jingle when they dance. This dance also is new, originating with the Great Lakes tribes.

Selam also advises newcomers not to be intimidated by the Indian dances, and to respect the Indian traditions. For example, viewers are asked not to take photographs when a dancer loses an eagle feather. Because it is a significant religious symbol, tribes are taught to show respect and honor the feather by using a special ceremony to retrieve it, Selam said.

The religious leader invites newcomers to take advantage of one of the many powwows scheduled this summer in the Mid-Columbia, where dancers will connect visitors to the ways of the West.

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