POWWOW PAGEANTRY
Colorful, intricate regalia at Gathering tell stories
The sight of thousands of Native American dancers from hundreds of tribes throughout the U.S. and Canada adorned in every color of the rainbow and intricate regalia made from animal pelts, feathers, cloth, sequins, beads and ribbons is a beautiful and somewhat overwhelming experience.
But in the mass of dancers, every one has their own story, often told by the garments they wear.
On Saturday, Cynthia Neskahi of Arizona’s Fort Mojave Indian Tribe wore a long-sleeved, dark blue dress embroidered with silk black-and-white diamonds at the bottom of the skirt.
Neskahi said the diamonds represent the mountains that surround her homeland.
“In our creation story, we come from the mountains,” she said.
An intricately beaded collar was draped across her shoulders, and black markings were painted on her chin.
The markings denote her clan, the Oach. The traditional practice was to tattoo them.
Neskahi, whose Mojave name is “Baby Hummingbird,” said Mojave dancing and music is centered around gourds, not drums, but that didn’t stop her from participating in the grand entry.
“It was breathtaking,” she said. Uqualla of the Havasupai Tribe said his bright orange cloth tunic would have traditionally been made of buckskin, like the leggings and moccasins he wore.
Atop his bald head, painted orange, he wore a small headdress made of beads and feathers.
“It acts as a conduit, a key, an opening, a direct connection to a greater source,” the 63-year-old said. “The beauty of traditional regalia is to embody the best and the finest.”
Vaughn Stands, 34, of the Oglala Sioux and Rosebud Sioux tribes in South Dakota, has been dancing at the Gathering of Nations since he was 5 years old.
“I grew up this way, powwowing,” Stands said. “It was passed down to me, singing and dancing.”
One piece of his regalia predates many of the powwow participants: an 80-year-old beaded pipe bag, decorated with dyed porcupine quills.
He also wore handcrafted armbands made of deer hide and hooves.
The cuffs made with blue, white, black, green, orange, yellow and red beads around his forearms are in a pattern specific to his family, like a crest.
His chest was covered with a buffalo bone breastplate and otter pelt.
Although many of the 700 tribes represented at the powwow may have historically quarreled with one another, Stands said he believes those conflicts remain in the past.
“As Indian people, we’re going extinct,” he said. “The barrier that was between Native American people broke down because we all sort of have to get along. All in all, we’re family.”
I GREW UP THIS WAY, POWWOWING. IT WAS PASSED DOWN TO ME, SINGING AND DANCING. VAUGHN STANDS OF THE OGLALA SIOUX AND ROSEBUD SIOUX TRIBES