so I just spent half of today reading a 124 page book filled with anthropological/socio-linguistic jargon... the author could have written a more condense 20 page journal article and save the reader (me) all the repetition....
the RA checked the apartments today- I woke up early to do last minute tidying up-... when he came to my apartment, I passed the inspection- BUT he annoying pointed out that the kitchen floor was too dull (caused by shoe marks) and the bathroom mirror was too streaky- honestly, the dull floors and streaky mirrors are not fire hazard... overall the apartment is still clean and pristine...
this week will be hell week, it's the week before spring break- I'm excited, I'm going to visit my family in CA and AZ, so I have to do a lot of work this week so during spring break I don't have to do as much.
Goals before spring break: finish grading papers, start another novel for class, read journal articles for the week after spring break, continue research so I'll be prepared to write my a folklit paper proposal, which is due the Wednesday after spring break
enough with the introduction... the main subject of this blog post is my first pow wow, which I attended yesterday...
It was held in the Nelson Field house here in Logan Utah... Native Americans, different tribes congregated here, some came from Wyoming, some from New Mexico, and some more from different parts of the west... I don't know what a pow wow is, and I didn't do any research... somehow, in the back of my mind, I had some info that pow wow had dance exhibitions and I was right - but other than that, totally clueless...
it started at 7 (according to the brochure, the announcer said that native American time was different (fashionably late)... I walked in and since I had time, I checked out the vendors (I didn't have a lot of money with me)... I saw hand-crafted jewelries, pottery, drawings, clothings and a food vendor selling FRY BREAD ( i love fry bread, my first exposure to this was last week, the Native American study Association sold them at the Taggart Student Center to raise money)... Fry bread reminded me a little of johnny cakes (of the Virgin Islands)- you have two options- on your toppings to put on top of the fry bread: vegetable salsa, sour cream (traditional taco-bell stuff) or butter and honey- I chose the sweeter deal (sugar is bad for you, BUT honey is not processed the same way as sugar, they are more natural and therefore not as dangerous)...
so during the pow wow, the first thing I did after checking out the vendors was buy a fry bread for $2.50 and then found a seat with my friend...
I got a program and read through it while waiting for pow wow to begin- I was partially right, the pow woo had dances- but it also has fashion, singing, drumming, and dancing contest, it's a celebration-- I found something funny in the program saying that the fashion et al. are part of legends and traditions, which were too lengthy to explain in a small blurb in the program.... I know this is true but some context would have helped... I just did a lot of guessing and interpretation based on previous experience and exposure
Native Americans were dressed traditionally in ceremonial clothing/dressing (not costumes- to say that they are wearing costumes is insulting and disrespectful- costumes imply Halloween)... some using colors of the natural earth (brown tones and torquoise) some some using today's accessibility of the world- silk inspired, neon colors,-- lots of sparkle, beads, satin/matte finished, feathers, animal symbols (I didn't bring my camera- I'm hoping that USU' Utah's Statesman will have good picture to commemorate this event on this Monday's issue)... I hear the jingles of bells, the clanging of cylindrical metals...
the grand entrance started, the dancer processed in a circular path (the circle is prominent in native American culture)...
dancing- marching- some animal movement maybe rooster fighting, eagles soaring, there was a warrior dance, dance separated by age- tiny tots, girls/boys, teens, women/men, golden age (respect for the elder), there's the traditional dance, the fancy shawl category, and exhibition (it reminded me of ballroom a little bit)
drumming/singing contest- my friend and I sat behind a group of singers and drummers, so when it was their turn to demonstrate, you can feel the reverberation of the drum all the way to your heart... I heard the men singing and the women harmonizing- the men's voice seem to crack, they were singing high (screeching almost) and it felt like they're straining their voices, the women seemed to be more at ease, the high notes came out of them effortlessly...
I'm guessing that the winners will be announced at the last day of the pow wow...
the clothings were really amazing-- one in particular sticks in mind, this woman had a black gown-esque with sparkling/violet/blue sequence/bead work, and it just reminded of the night sky with with stars... the black/ebony hue made the earth-toned beads and other warm colors stand out... it was really pretty and inspiring....
to be continued...
Posted by Michael Diezmos at March 1, 2008 7:05 PM