Our yearly 4th of July adventure is the Oneida Powwow. Gary came home from Illinois to share it with me.
We enjoy the craft displays. There are satin quilts with brightly colored tribal motifs made by a family in Denver. Seamstresses show off tribal costumes, some for jingle dancers, the women who dance with bells on their dresses. Gary spends some time looking at the silver jewelry, not for me though. I don't wear jewelry so he looks for himself.
We try to eat sensibly all year, but at the powwow, we splurge on Indian tacos: taco fixings on top of fry bread that can kill with tastiness. Lately, we've shared one taco between us. We always get it from the Cornelius family. We top it off the meal with fresh squeezed lemonade, so welcome in the hot sun.
What we are waiting for is the grand entry as we listen to drummers sing around their big drums. There are two or three sets of singers from different tribes who take turns to rest their voices. I stop by their shaded canopy to listen and smell the sweet grass they burn to welcome good spirits.
The drummers stop suddenly. The prayer/invocation is spoken by a tribal leader from another part of the state, both in English and in his native tongue.
The drums begin again and the honor guard arrives with flags, banners and tribal insignia carried by veterans of America's wars.
This is the point where I tear up. No Memorial Day service I've ever been to is equal to the reverence shown to Oneida warriors. Here, the veterans of unpopular wars march proudly.
They are followed by the swirling colors of dancers from around North America, all dancing to the beating of the drum and the soaring singers.
Come winter, I will cherish the memory of hot summer days and the time we spent at the Oneida Powwow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pZyJCdH_u8
We enjoy the craft displays. There are satin quilts with brightly colored tribal motifs made by a family in Denver. Seamstresses show off tribal costumes, some for jingle dancers, the women who dance with bells on their dresses. Gary spends some time looking at the silver jewelry, not for me though. I don't wear jewelry so he looks for himself.
We try to eat sensibly all year, but at the powwow, we splurge on Indian tacos: taco fixings on top of fry bread that can kill with tastiness. Lately, we've shared one taco between us. We always get it from the Cornelius family. We top it off the meal with fresh squeezed lemonade, so welcome in the hot sun.
What we are waiting for is the grand entry as we listen to drummers sing around their big drums. There are two or three sets of singers from different tribes who take turns to rest their voices. I stop by their shaded canopy to listen and smell the sweet grass they burn to welcome good spirits.
The drummers stop suddenly. The prayer/invocation is spoken by a tribal leader from another part of the state, both in English and in his native tongue.
The drums begin again and the honor guard arrives with flags, banners and tribal insignia carried by veterans of America's wars.
This is the point where I tear up. No Memorial Day service I've ever been to is equal to the reverence shown to Oneida warriors. Here, the veterans of unpopular wars march proudly.
They are followed by the swirling colors of dancers from around North America, all dancing to the beating of the drum and the soaring singers.
The drums pound. The grounds fill with more and more dancers, over six hundred of them.
This is what could have been lost through the Indian wars, disease and attrition. This is what can be lost if mining corporations destroy the reservations and their water supplies. The tribes continue to send their warriors to fight our wars. How can we not support their struggles to defend their nations?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pZyJCdH_u8
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