Indigenous powwows are a buffet for the senses, and makes one think of how deeply connected the spirituality of our Indigenous neighbors is. Such a drastically different approach to celebrating the "Creator" and creation than in our Westernized Christian tradition that depends most specifically on how we think about faith.
In my experience going back 30 years ago to when I was a newspaper reporter in north-central Minnesota covering three American Indian tribes, the experience that I had was that indigenous spirituality offers a much more whole body and lived experience in faith, incorporating nature, animals, plants, the elements and essentially, the entire web of creation into their faith experience versus what we traditionally consider faith in our Westernized-style of Christianity.
Shelley and I were fortunate to have the time to recently catch an annual local powwow here -- the 33rd Annual Woodlands and High Plains Powwow held at North Dakota State University, which annually celebrates the indigenous graduates of surrounding higher education institutions and high schools.
Having been a good number of years since I attended a powwow, as soon as we walked through the door, I was pleasantly surprised to be immediately transported back 30 years ago to when I first started attending powwows as part of my journalistic work.
The sites, sounds, smells and the feeling of the Spirit reminded me how special powwows are, a mixture not only of celebration and joy, but also of spiritually, tradition and reverence. Non-indigenous people do not have a celebration, nor worship experience, that is similar, and so drawing comparisons is challenging at best.
The first thing I think novices may notice is the explosion of color as so many of the indigenous attendees wear very colorful dresses, shawls, regalia and beadwork. The traditional wear generally is categorized in three ways, which are different for men and women. Men dress in “traditional,” “fancy” and “grass” wear; women in “traditional,” “jingle” dresses and “fancy” wear. And each of the dress categories is filled with spiritual and traditional meaning.
For me, the second thing I generally notice is the wafting of tobacco and sage scents in the air. While at this particular venue, no personal tobacco use was permitted inside, using tobacco as an offering and burning sage for cleansing was. And if you paid close attention, you could sniff out those sweet and earthy scents in the air above even the venue’s concession smells.
Finally, for me, one of the special aspects of powwows is the intersectionality between the indigenous people celebrating their ancestral traditions and spirituality, but also not being afraid to honor their native nations as well as the U.S. in a show of respect and solidarity. In this experience you see respected elders coming together with all ages, including the young adult graduates, young parents and even the littlest of their people, while simultaneously, the Indigenous people invite into the space anyone else who wants to be in fellowship. In fact, the hospitality at powwows is inspirational, and as faith communities we could do well to witness this act of generosity.
As I tried to find the words to adequately express the deeply spiritual beauty of the powwow for this post, I found that this passage from the powwow’s program was very revealing: “Many may observe that numerous tribes and traditions acknowledge more than just four directions. However, this theme serves as a foundational cornerstone for something far greater. …
The four cardinal directions, elemental and fundamental, each symbolize a passage of time, from birth to death, within Indigenous cultures. Here, within the vibrant tapestry of our powwow, we witness this passage of time unfold before our very eyes. We witness the innocence of tiny tots, gazing up to our graduates, knowing that one day, they too will walk in their footsteps. We witness our graduates, lauded for their perseverance and achievements. We witness parents, swelling with pride as they witness their children’s pursuit of dreams. And finally, we witness our elders, gazing upon the legacy they have cultivated, as the circle of life completes its cycle. In this intricate dance of generations, we find the essence of our chosen theme.
Thus, it is with profound reverence and understanding of this sacred journey that we have chosen ‘May the Four Directions Guide Me’ as our theme this year. For within its embrace lies the essence of life’s perpetual rhythm -- a rhythm that beats within each of us, guiding us on our respective paths.”
If we step back and give space for the Holy Spirit to work, I honestly don’t believe that we’d find many differences between Indigenous faith and our Christian faith. Sure, we might have different names for things, but I believe that our “Creator” just may be the same and that we both make room to cherish the Spirit in our experiences.
If you’ve never experienced a powwow, I’d highly encourage you to do so. And if you have been to a powwow (or many!) in the past, I’m curious to hear your experiences!
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