Powwow wows visitors to Native American celebration

By Bob Jerkovich / Chronicle contributor

October 09, 2008 04:45 pm

— The second annual "Turtle Clan Powwow on the Plateau" was held recently in Cumberland County. The previous seven years, the event was known as the "Native American Gathering and Festival."
The approximately 3,000 people who witnessed the three-day event were left with a feeling that they gained invaluable knowledge of the Native American culture. The purpose of the powwow is to help educate individuals and school children to the Native American heritage and culture.
Native Americans from as far away as Arizona, New York, Florida and points in between came to the event to either perform or sell their wares.
There were many show stoppers who excited the crowds. One of these was Daniel Paul (Little Fox), age 8. According to Mary Cox-Pluff (Red Wolf), Daniel's mother, he has been dancing since before he could walk. Daniel attends Homestead Elementary School and he says that he enjoys dancing because he gets very happy.
Daniel is a "Grass Dancer" and as he dances he is praying for everyone around him, family, all the spirits in the world, all the animals, and now more importantly he is dancing for his grandmother, Theresa Cox, who is seriously ill. Daniel prided himself by saying that he had been helping take care of her for one year. The crowd could tell that as Daniel danced his actions told everyone that he was dancing with all his heart. He is also a remarkably polite young man.
Jonathan Feather (Zani-Oogi-Da-Li) was one of the storytellers, explaining and telling the many cultural ways of the Native American. In many instances, the crowd became mesmerized by his explanations. Feather, from Cherokee, North Carolina, and a member of the Cherokee and Lakota Sioux tribes, has been dancing since age 7 and he fascinated the crowd with his "Hoop Dance." Starting with one hoop, Feather worked his way through five hoops, amazing the crowd with his ability to contort his body into a variety of positions.
The dancer who delighted the crowd the most, especially the photographers in the crowd, was Chad Feather (Dal-Li-G-Gi-Du-Li), the son of Jonathan Feather. Chad started dancing at the relatively older age of 13 and started as a "Grass Dancer." For the past year he has been a "Fancy Feather Dancer." The myriad of colored feathers and the speed in which Chad performed dances astonished the crowd. Dropping to his knees and still dancing at break-neck speed brought the crowd to their feet, cheering and clapping. To perform in his regalia at a high speed and expend the amount of energy needed, sometimes in stifling heat, Chad must be well-conditioned. He prepares himself for these rigors by performing agility exercises, jumping rope, running a quarter-mile track, practicing 3-4 hours a day, and running 32 miles a day.
Ickey Hornell, a member of the Navajo Tribe, made the longest journey. Hornell is from Window Rock, Arizona. Hornell has been dancing since the age of 11. He practices 8-9 songs daily, runs at least nine laps on a quarter mile track, and swims laps on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. At present, Hornell is a "Grass Dancer" and wows the crowd with his exquisite footwork and graceful dancing ability. Hornell has taken time out from dancing to appear in small parts of movies such as "Last of the Mohicans" and "Follow the River."
During a period of rest for the dancers, the crowd was mesmerized by the beautiful notes coming from a variety of flutes and performed by J.J. Kent. He is also a speaker and educator. The crowd thoroughly enjoyed the stories and traditions of Native American culture that Kent spoke of. Kent originally is from the Wind River Indian Reservation, Wyoming. He is a member of the Northern Arapaho and Easter Shoshone with Lakota Sioux tribes. He presently makes his home in Goodlettsville, TN. Kent is a 2008 Native American Music Awards (NAMMY) nominee for "Flutist of the Year." The NAMMY awards are the equivalent of the Grammy Awards and this year the celebration will be held in Niagara Falls, New York.
Saturday evening, as the powwow was winding down from the day's activities, a hawk made its presence known by swooping in low over the ring and landing on a nearby light pole. The hawk sat there for nearly two hours, occasionally voicing his approval of the activities with a shriek. This was a good sign that the powwow would be a success.
Other events of the weekend included three warriors being inducted into the "Umbrella Warrior Society." They were presented with an umbrella and had to do an "Umbrella Dance." From this event forward, whenever they attend a powwow, they must dance at least one "Umbrella Dance." The dance brought the crowd to laughter as the three warriors got into the role and performed admirably.
There were many dances performed. The included the Grass, Men's Traditional, Women's Traditional, Fancy Shawl, Women's Cloth, Fancy Dance, Hoop Dance, Candy Dance for the children and young at heart, Friendship Dance, and the Inter-Tribal Dance. The only dance missing from a powwow repertoire was the Jingle Dance. Before every dance, there was a explanation of the dance and what it involved.
There was even a small surprised wedding on Saturday morning.
An elder from West Tennessee told Dana Sappier (Nighthawkbear), one of the organizers of this year's event, that he had never seen so many veterans attending a powwow. One of the purposes of this powwow was to also honor all military veterans, firefighters, police, doctors, and nurses. The event succeeded with the large turnout of veterans.
The powwow, which was dedicated to Theresa Cox, came to a close Sunday afternoon with a traveling song — a safe journey for all, with Theresa's drum, where 13 drummers, in unison, performed the very emotional ceremony.
For those who missed this year's event, keep an eye out next year for the dates and time of this beautiful event. You do not want to miss it. There are plans for a bigger and better event next year. See you there.

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