Indians dance to different drumme
by Nancy Stohs
No one said: "You smokem peace pipe," like in
the TV westerns; electric amplifiers, not natural
canyons, echoed the drum beat; and moccasined feet
danced on the floor of a basketball court, not the dirt
ground.
But the colorful feathered costumes, the chanting
music, and the tribal dances were all there part of
the Indian pow wow sponsored Saturday and Sunday
by the UNL Council of American Indian Students.
Primarily a social gathering, the pow wow ended
UNL Indian Culture Week, which featured speakers
and a rock concert.
"C'mon, everybody dance," said the announcer at
the microphone.
The beat, e v e r - co n s t a n t (one-two,
one-two)-slower, faster-brought people to the
Coliseum floor, members of some 50 American
Indian tribes from as far away as New Mexico.
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The ceremony was a "round" dance, an all-tribal
social dance where rows of four or five danced
together around a circle like spokes of a wheel.
In the center were the singers groups of five men
seated around a huge, rawhide drum, chanting
high-pitched native songs.
Some dancers wore elaborate feathers on their
backs, in their headdresses, around their necks and
paint on their faces. Women were dressed in long
skirts, bright shawls and dangling beads.
But the majority there were spectators, seated in a
huge semicircle of chairs, in modern dress and with
children nearby.
Some played continually; persons milled around.
But the dances remained the center of attraction.
In competition, there were war dances of vigorous
and complicated steps, performed by men to an
ever-faster drum beat. Often going for 10 minutes
"It's the need
for solidarity behind
pow wows.
Everybody's got
spirit.. .you can
feel it." . . .
without stopping, they produced a muscle strain
requiring the stamina of a gymnast, participants said.
But women got in their steps, too; from girls as
young as five hoping to make the finals on Sunday to
women with gray hair rhythmically performing
traditional "shawl" dances.
Asking the Indians, one gets the impression these
dancers are well-known and taken for granted,
something like singing the same hymns in church
every Sunday.
But as an Indian student said: "It's the need for
solidarity (behind pow wows). Everybody's got the
spirit here. They don't really shout and clap, but you
can feel it."
Traditionally, "pow wows" (an English word)
were huge celebrations called by individual families,
lasting several days from sunrise to about 4:00 a.m.
But there was no established schedule or set of
rules this weekend.
The pow wow announcer wanted to "let the pow
wow carry itself," he said. First a Sioux drum song
was played, next a war dance and then an audience
request, like a "two-step."
Two-step? (Indian version, of course).
But there were other, more subtle signs of 500
years of the white man's influence and intertribalism,
including:
loudspeakers, blue jeans and plastic coke cups
mixed with eagle feathers, drums and long black
braids.
names like Commanche, Sioux, Pawnee and
Blackbear mingled with Smith and Jose.
Indians in Northern-style dress performing
Southern-style dances.
And in the dance competition, the stakes weren't
winning a young squaw's favor or creating a
rainshower, but a share of $1,800 in prize money.
The Indians came to "enjoy ourselves" or "to be
with my people," some participants said.
And they did, by dancing, talking to friends or
sitting back to watch a special culture.
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I'hrtt).; li (,.l 1
Up
Students vs.
poor teachers
by Dave Madsen
Your professor of Big Redonomy, Dr,
Nonsense, really gets on your nerves, doesn't he?
He doesn't seem to know his class material and he
only attends class once every two weeks. That's
really a problem, but you know there's nothing
you can do about it, right? Wrong!
According to James Suter, UNL ombudsman,
students can lodge complaints against professors
who are believed to be incompetent. He
emphasized that grievances only can be effective if
made by a group of students.
Suter said channels exist lor lodiny complaints,
but they often aren't used. According to some
University officials, professors have been dismissed
because of student initiated complaints but the
number is small.
Suter said it is important to note the difference
between a tenured and a nontenured teacher.
The instructor seeking tenure is evaluated by
other faculty members, and if acceptable, he is
granted tenure by the Board of Regents. That
means he is given a more or less permanent
contract to leach at the University.
A nontenured instructor is subject to
reappointment each yiyar until he is granted
tenure.
According to Suter, it is much easier not to
reappoint a nontenured professor than it is to fire
a tenured professor.
The bylaws of the Board of Regents state that
the only grounds for termination of a tenured
professor's contract, besides retirement or
discontinuance of a program or department, is
"adequate cause."
According to Bernice Slote, chairman of the
Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee of the
Faculty Senate, adequate cause traditionally has
been defined as ineffective teaching or immorality.
If a group of students wishes to complain about
a professor, they should follow certain channels.
First, they should talk to the instructor.
Sometimes the problem can be resolved there,
Suter said.
If the students aren't satisfied with the results,
their next step would be to talk to the department
chairman. He will discuss the problem with the
instructor and take necessary actions to alleviate
the problem.
The students may not accept the action taken
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by the department chairman. If so they then may
talk to the ombudsman. Suter said fie is re'uctant
to enter the situation before this point. He wid
that if no satisfactory action had been taken so
far, he would do what he can to prevent the
complaint going any further up the line.
If the ombudsman can't lesolve the piobl'-m .it
this level, the students should then talk to !!i;
dean of the college.
The college dean will take actions Iv ! w,
appropriate. If the students don't think the a :imi.
are sufficient, they may '.lien piesen! 'h.-ii
complaint to Vice Chancellor tor Ar adernk Allans
Virginia Trotter.
Sutoi said complaints aa.iiii.i ( r . j f j t .tf -: i ' t
usually carried as far as the vice chanu-llor. In f,i; t,
he said, they usually die resolved by rli''
department chairman.
If student complaints are found to be valid, ih
University may bring charges of incompetency
against the professor. When charges are made
against a professor, he has several avenues of
recourse, Trotter said.
First, the professor would talk t hi-,
department chairman and the (Jean of his collcyi'.
If this does no good, he may ask for the help rf
the Conciliation Committee. Hi's commit t.e- is
made up of elected faculty members. Its job e, to
draw together the interested parlies a'ui ,r; 'i
arbitrator in the matter .
Trotter said if the professor is not satisfied with
the actions of the UNL Conciliation Committee,
he may appeal to the UNL Grievance Committee.
This committee serves as a mini cojrt, she vnd,
gathering as much evidence as possible to decide if
the faculty member has a valid grievance.
When the UNL Grievance Committee m.i.-s
decision, if the professor still doesn't thir ' h- !ms
been given ample opportunity to state he, ( ase, he
may report to the chancellor's office, vlic-re ihe
final decision will be rnade.
Although Suter wouldn't eiK.oina'je or
discourage filing complaints, he viid that "stodei;'
owe it to themselves to give feedbaci- in Ihee
professors."
The main poirds conee-i rntaj j
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a professor, he said, are iha? no ar.ti
taken until a charge is made, and lh.it the .j:.- jii
the number of students involved m 'Ik- o"ii 'I."' ,! ,
tlie more likely that action will be l.'.cu.
monday, upril 1(i, 1973
daily nr.'bruGkan
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