Pow wow's, origins, meaning, and celebration

A lady from Europe wrote to me. She was "surprised that there are still Indians in the US". There are many actually. Some of us have been part of the melting pot, and some have been able to  remain true to their original bloodlines. We live in every state of the US,  and in other areas of North America as well!


She asked where the word Pow wow came from, as it looks like a made up word, not an original word. Yes and no. It is an original word, but it had a different meaning. It is an Algonquin word (the language of my ancestors), so I am familiar with it. It was spelled differently and pronounced differently, but the Europeans had a tough time pronouncing it, so it came out "pow wow". The original word was pauwau or pauau, and it was a word for the person leading a spiritual ceremony (most usually a medicine man). The word for medicine man and the ceremony seem to have been the same word. People will say pow wow began in Omaha, but that is where pow wows as we know them today began, not the original "pow wows" (which is pretty easy to figure out since they don't speak Algonquin languages in Nebraska).

A group of settlers saw a Medicine man who was most likely Narragansett, dancing as part of a ceremony. Their communication with the local tribes was difficult, and when told the Medicine Man was a "pauau", they took it to mean the dancing and gathering was a "pow wow". The tribes of the Algonquin region are many. They lived right on top of each other, and frequently either worked together or killed each other. They most certainly did gather together for certain ceremony. You had Pequot, Mohegan, Schaghticoke, Narragansett, Niantic, Massachuset, Wampanoag, and others all within walking distance of each other.

There were times when the tribes would gather, and ceremony was one of those times. That ceremonial gathering is what has been transformed into today's pow wow. Some think pow wow's were invented to entertain the Europeans, the last thing the Native Americans of this continent were doing was entertaining the Europeans....but then , that is part of what it turned out to be.

Pow wow is still held as a combination of sacred ceremony and family reunion in most of the country. In some places there are events that are not called a "pow wow" that have loser guidelines and are not as strict as a real pow wow. They are called things like "Native American Days".

A pow wow is a sacred gathering. There are many do's and don'ts that the common person won't know. There is a Master of Ceremony who will spell things out for folks, things like when and when not to take pictures, when to stand and where to sit. There usually isn't an opportunity to make a mistake (all large pow wows have areas designated for dancers only, and most rope of the dance ring). When you make a mistake, just simply say "I am sorry, thank you for teaching me", and move on. When an elder tells you you are doing something wrong, make sure that you listen and correct it, not argue. When you feel that the elder is wrong (and step carefully there), make sure that you have an airtight case to present to them.

There is a protocol to pow wows and I have included it in the past. 

This is one of the best and easiest articles on pow wow protocol:

http://www.visitmariposa.net/powwow/protocol.html

There are many others. The easiest thing to do is to watch others and see what is being done.
The best idea is to err on the side of making no mistake rather than thinking...well someone will say something. It is best NOT to get an elder upset on many levels, from tradition to respect.

Pow wow became the word for gatherings from Grass Dance societies of the Plains to the Omaha dance societies (who ere actually warriors, not "dancers"). Today, pow wows are a gathering to dance, eat, tell stories, trade, sell, and just have fun seeing friends, the public is usually welcomed, although there are some rare pow wows where they are not.

That being said, pow wows are fun, and are a great learning experience. Most people at a pow wow will be happy to answer well intentioned questions. Make sure that you are following the pow wow guidelines so that not only do you have a good time, but everyone else will too!

So yes, there are still MANY Indians in the US, and the total probably outnumbers some small countries, and certainly many cities! If you ever come to the US, plan a pow wow as part of your trip, you won't be sorry!

Have fun...learn , teach and grow!

Peshaui Wequashimese
Feel free to share this with folks who you know will be attending pow wows, but click on the link provided and print out the pow wow guidelines for first timers! Thank you Shadow Wolf for one of the easiest to read and understand guidelines out there!

(C) 2011 Dr. R M Wolf, please share with credit. Thank You!

Some other "pow wow" pages:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/powwow

http://www.powwow-power.com/powwowhistory.html