First Nations Powwow

We drove south to our State Capitol - Salem, Oregon - yesterday to attend the First Nations Powwow.  The Grand Entry was at 1 pm.  I just love the drumming, the singing, the dancing, the outfits the people wear are called regalia.  Beautiful beadwork and leather, feathers and bells.  This powwow was put on by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde - the Umpqua, Mollalla, Rogue River, Kalapuya and Chasta.  Many other people from other tribes were here participating.

I filmed a 2 minute video on my iPhone - click on the arrow in the image below to see the dancing and hear the drumming and singing.

I love this man, he's beautifully dressed and is a drummer, too.

I want a hat like this!  Isn't it gorgeous? 

Here are some of the drummers. Boom, boom..  

I must tell you that it was impossible to get a good photograph with the light in the building and all the moving and twirling dancers.  I hope you enjoy them anyway - you at least should feel the movement with all the blurring colors. :-)

I was enthralled by the children that were all dressed up and enjoying the dancing.

Drumming group across the dance floor.  Do you see the drum?

Now they are out dancing.

Beautiful women, beads and eagle feathers.

I love the color in this man's regalia.

The star of the show was this absolutely adorable little girl, who toddled about the dance floor all afternoon, much to the delight of the onlookers.  Her dad was always nearby to watch her, it was precious.

This canoe below is wonderful and the tribe canoes up the rivers here and teaches their children about the old ways.

A traditional cedar bark hat in the canoe.

Drumming group - there are several at the powwow, they take turns performing for each of the different dances.

I captured a sweet moment on the dance floor, the younger girl's shawl had slipped off and the older one helped her get it back in place.

The tribal elders show the younger ones how to carve out a cedar canoe, you should have smelled the aroma of the fresh cedar as they worked.

I asked this delightful young woman permission to take a photo of her and her 3 month old baby girl and she was so sweet - she said yes and asked her mother for the little pink Pendleton baby blanket to wrap her baby in for the photo, and told us it was hers as a baby.  She pulled the pacifier out of the baby's mouth, but that did not go over well with baby, so she put it right back in. :-)  She told us which tribes she descended from and the baby's name, April.  Her first baby.

She also showed us the sweet little handmade moccasins - also hers from when she was a baby.

Each dance session has a special theme.. this one was for the young girls, they looked like butterflies twirling around the dance floor.

My new friend, her mother and baby April on the dance floor.

Next the men danced, isn't this something?

Two of the elder women, resting between dancing.

Another very young dancer.. cute, huh?  See the bells on her dress?  They are made from snuff can lids!  The girls that wear these are called, "Jingle Dancers".

This photo captures something memorable for me -- people show dancers that they like what they are doing by gifting them with a dollar - and this young boy tried to give the baby girl the dollar but she kept running away, he had to chase her all over the dance floor, but finally got her attention - this is him giving her a dollar.  She promptly toddled over to her dad and gave it to him.  Just adorable.

I hope you enjoyed the Powwow as much as we did!!  ((hugs)), Teresa :-)