Native American Culture : Pow Wows And Native American Culture

Different aspects of dances all represent something special and meaningful to each specific tribe. Firstly, the purposes of the Native American’s dances are for entertainment, religious rituals, successful hunts, harvests, to give thanks, prayer, victory, mythology, along with many more. (Weiser- Alexander and Alexander) In the video Native American Indian

Identity in Native America is directly associated with culture and language. As a result, some of the issues today which are important in shaping the identity of modern Native Americans include: representations of native people by the media in sports and popular culture; how indigenous languages are being revitalized and maintained; and identity reclamation. The Native American lifestyle has changed significantly during the last half of the 20th century and that is because views on the Native people have drastically changed over time. They have had many hardships that have greatly impacted their culture over the past few centuries leading up to today.

Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them

In Catholicism, Christians attend worship service to practice their faith. During church, they do a variety of traditions, which include, “prayers, scripture readings, the singing of pslams from the Old Testament, the consecration of bread and wine, [and] communion” (Quinlan 275). Evidently, the liturgy is organized on the basis of strengthening one’s faith, by practicing on a weekly basis. Even more so, the church exhibits its faith by involving the community to celebrate the Lord together. In comparison, a powwow is very similar to a weekly Christian worship service. During a powwow, the participants celebrate through song and dance, prayer, ceremonies, and acts of hospitality and unity (“The Powwow”). Similar to the Holy Communion, powwow end their ceremony with a feast as an act of honor. Moreover, powwows are a form of community and are considered social gatherings in the Native American culture. Thus, the Christian Worship Service and an Aboriginal powwow have common qualities. However, these ceremonies are not the only way they practice their religion

In John Smith’s The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, his portrayal of the Native Americans is that of a tradition-driven people, who were willing to trade and occasionally aid the colonists, but were ultimately considered barbarians. The traditional aspect of the native’s culture can be found in their descriptions of fighting and dancing, with one of Smith’s first hostile encounters describing the Native Powhatan warriors being painted in different colors while “singing

“The Powwow at the End of the World” by Sherman Alexie appears to be a modern free verse poem with varying line length and no end rhyme. It is actually a ceremony to preserve and restore the Native American land and way of life. The repetition of the beginning of the lines and the strong rhythm suggest the drumbeat and dance of the apocalyptic powwow, or communal dance of Indians at the end of the world when all will be put right again. The speaker is an Indian answering the demand for forgiveness by the audience, who imply the Indians should forget four centuries of the atrocities committed by European settlers. He speaks in authoritative chant-like native rhetoric as though he can actually do what he says, like a medicine man. The poem in a few lines undoes the effects of modern civilization, destroying dams and allowing the waters to flow and the salmon to return.

Native American culture originated in some parts North America. These countries are known as the United States of America and some parts of Canada. In the United States, there are 6.6 million Native Americans, which form about 2.0 percent of the population (Bureau, 2016). Europe had realized there were about 50 million people already living the “new world” and these people were called Native Americans. Native Americans were originally called Indians, but later through history they formed a new name. These people were called this because of them being native to the “new world” and the American part came after the colonist named the United States. Throughout history, Native Americans believed that using raw material in nature was the best way to provide for their people. Their culture thought no part of an animal should go to waste. They would eat the meat, use the skin for clothing, and make jewelry from the bones. Over the years a lot of their culture and customs were lost due to conforming with society. Their languages were referred to as “Indigenous Languages” because of them being extremely complicated and diverse. Some important factors that help understand the foundation of Native American culture are their rituals/practices, death ceremonies, holidays, family, and stereotypes.

A Powwow is a congregation where Native American celebration, singing and dancing take place. Throughout the country there are numerous different powwows; though in this essay I will talk about overall powwows and in details the Jingle Dress Dance which by most accounts has its roots in the northern regions of the United States.

Culture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is stated as “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that dpends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. The set shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The set of values, conventions or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic.” Of these four definitions, I shall be focusing on the second one to discuss what makes up the culture of American Indians.The culture of the various tribes that made up the Native Americans is one of close knit families, highlyspiritual peoples and living together as one with the land they lived on. They believed in spirits, worshiping and honoring them. Some settled into single locations while others were nomadic, but all had a focus on working with the land around them. Because there are so many varying tribes that make up Native

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American group in America today, and is the biggest Indian reservation in the United States. Situated in the northeastern part of Arizona and in the northwestern part of New Mexico, it is comprised of nearly ten million acres, or roughly fifteen thousand square miles. In this research paper the author will discuss at least three aspects of the Navajo culture that will include the kinship that the Navajo have with each other, the social structure within Navajo society, the economic organization that sustains the culture and their beliefs and values that

Native American, or American Indians, have a rich culture comprised of struggle, strife and success. For this paper, i will discuss the Native American Culture and it's history.

Attending my first Native American powwow was a very intriguing cultural experience to be apart of, and that I was grateful I was able to attend. This was an event that I would not have attended if it were not for this project and I ended up learning a lot about this culture that is around us. Every Native American tribe has their own version of this culture, however, all tribes gather in a powwow, a cultural event that strengthens the unity of the tribe. My informants name is Gary Watson, an elderly man, who has attended powwows for many years. He and his wife were participants in the powwow this year and were also there to watch their grandchildren participate for the first time. I

Located at the center of the floor was the drum with its performers (all male), and the singers who were the male drummers and female singers. The female singers were seated just behind the male drummers in a circle. Prior to the initiation of the Powwow, many other things occurred. Miss Indian OU was crowned and everyone joined in celebration by dancing around the center drum. Male and female vocals could both be heard during this time. From here the honoring of certain individuals, families, and anniversaries occurred. It was then time for the Grand Entry. It is important to note that a prayer was carried out before this entry and all were asked to rise due to the presence of the Eagle Staff. The drums then initiated the Grand Entry and well over 100 dancers arrived on the floor. Each Plains dance type from Jingle Dress Dancers to Fancy Dancers was present. Regalia varied between each dance group and during the Grand Entry they each danced their own individual dance.

“My people are few. They resemble the scattering trees of a storm-swept plain...There was a time when our people covered the land as the waves of a wind-ruffled sea cover its shell-paved floor, but that time long since passed away with the greatness of tribes that are now but a mournful memory.,” Chief Seattle Speech of 1854. The culture of the Native American people has been deteriorating ever since the Europeans arrived in the Americas. The impactful and immense loss of lifestyle that they faced is one that can never be recovered, what the United States has given them are generations of trauma and blatant suffering. However, the U.S. did not stop there, a multitude of cultures have been broken to help keep America pure. For instance, one of the most significant cultures that have been dismantled by the U.S. other than the Natives and their music were the languages and music of the African slaves. The apparent likeness of these two cultures in the ways in which their deconstruction impacted them is in more of an abundance, such as the dominating influence of the Christian religion and the gravely vital role of maintaining what little heritage they could through language. In contrast to this, the two groups had an opposing difference pertaining to how the Natives and slaves tried to compensate the immense loss of their culture through the generations.

In the past powwows took place around seasonal changes. This changed as non-natives began to join in celebrating these Native American customs (Schultz, 2001). Native American powwows earliest record dates back to July 4th, 1900 in a Missoula, MT newspaper (Schultz, 2001).