Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1990)
n The Traditiony**** of \zJ \4 / II_____ . As one of the oldest cultural tra ditions in thc^ Midwest, and perhaps the most colorful, the American Indian Pow-Wow celebra tion combines the spirit of a .mc honored ceremonial tradition with the excitement of a weekend family re union. And a family reunion it was at the Sisseton Wahpcton Sioux reservation in northeast South Dakota, when tribal members, other American Indians and non-Indians gathered to sing, dance and relax with old friends. This year’s Pow-Wow, Wacipi in Dakota Sioux language, was July 6-8 on the reservation Ceremonial Grounds, and marked 123 years for the annual celebration. Traditional Indian singers, drum groups and danccrs-from under 6 years-old to over 50-compctcd for prize money totaling more than $20,000. Softball tournaments and bingo added a contemporary flavor to catch a spectator’s wandering inter ests between dance sessions. The Sisseton Wahpcton Sioux Wacipi dates back to the formation of the Lake Traverse Reservation as defined by the Treaty of 1867. According to the program notes, J the Wacipi was originally a celcbra tm tion of the seasonal renewal of life. In PP the Dakota Sioux tradition, the Wacipi was a prayer to Wakan-Tanka-thc Great Spirit or Grandfather. Families also held religious naming and hon oring ceremonies, as they often do today. The graceful pageantry was never lost to the weekend heat. A Grand Entry of dancers and flag bearers opened each session of dancing, and an invocation song blessed the gath ering. By following the eagle staff and dancing clockwise, or sunwise, the competitors show the crowd that they are ready to perform. Men and women Wacipi dancers blend tradition and legend with the energy of contemporary styles and movements. Men’s traditional dance re-enacts a war party’s return to the village, when they would ‘‘dance out” the story of a battle or when hunters would dance their story of tracking prey. The Omaha Tribe started the men’s grass dance in the 1860s. Colorful fringe has replaced the grasses origi nally tucked into a dancer’s belt, but many still wear the hair roach, crow belt and eagle-bone whistle, which were emblems of the Omaha society. The men’s and women’s fancy dances are the newest of the dances, having begun in the early 1900s in Oklahoma. Elaborate feathered out fits, often with masks and headpieces. and fast footwork distinguish the men and boys from other male dancers. The fancy shawl with beaded mocca sins and leggings adorn the women. According to one legend, the women jingle dress dancers, who now deco rate their knee-length dresses with hundreds of metal cones made from chewing tobacco lids, inherited their dance from a holy man’s dream. Beginning from Miilc Lacs, Minn., the traditional jingle dress spread throughout the Chippewa/Ojibway territories and made its way to the Lakota and Dakota tribes in the late 1920s. From the powerful grace and rhythms of the dancers to the frybread and Indian tacos, the relaxed atmos phere almost defied the near 100 degree heat under a searing South Dakota sun. Only a sudden, lateevcning thun derstorm temporarily broke the circle of dancers, drummers and spectators from the celebration of a unique cul tural way of life. The Lincoln Indian Center will host a pow-wow for youths aged three to nine years old Aug. 3-5, and an open pow-wow Sept. 28-30. The Rosebud, S.D., pow-wow is sched uled for Aug. 24-26, and the Pine Ridge, S.D., pow-wow meets in early August. Story and photos by Robin Trimarchi Clockwise from above left: • The symbol of the Pow-Wow, shaped in the boundary of the reservation. • Miss Sisseton Wahpeton Sioux 1990, Susan Fleury of rural Wilmont, Minn. • Number 905, Joe Reed, and son Gerald, both'from Wahpeton, N.D., catch the shade of their truck between dance sessions. Fancy dancer Quinton Saunsoci of Macy, Neb. • Colette Redday of Long Hollow District, S.D., patiently awaits burgers and hot dogs while Maria Renville and Glenn Wilson, also of Long Hollow District, feed family and friends. • Dance competitors “introduce" themselves to the crowd during the Grand Entry. • Women’s Fancy dancer Sherry Bird of Brookings, S.D. • A singer and drum member, Perry Bobtail Bear of Eagle Butte, S.D. also led the Grand Entry with the Eagle Staff. I
