I thought about putting this off for another year to make it an even 40 year span. Keep in mind the pics are snapshots from nearly 40 years ago. After I started putting this piece together it grew to an extent I knew, given other obligations, I could not meet the deadline I set. So the dates our Pow Wow took place will not match the day this hits your screen. Nevertheless, I feel this is the good time for all of us to FEEL the heartbeat of the Earth.
The drumbeat symbolizes the heartbeat of the earth. It is something you hear, but you should also FEEL it. It is my hope YOU can FEEL IT as well.
The Pow Wow is a Native American social public gathering that expresses and demonstrates cultural qualities of Native Peoples. It is, therefore, a ceremony in it’s own right. It provides opportunity for sharing happiness and good fortune, as well as to gather normally scattered groups into one. These days it is also an opportunity for dancers to compete with, and learn from, each other in pursuit of excellence...and prize money.
The center flag pole on the dance ground for this Pow Wow was topped with the memorial flag of my Father, Matthew Gives Plenty, who in 1982 was recently departed. He was registered Rosebud Oglala Sioux. Honoring his life by flying his Veteran’s Flag at such a public gathering, along with the accompanying ceremonies, made this a very special event for me and our family. It is my hope YOU will find something in this story to make it a little bit special for you, too. This is not a diary for mourning. It is to note the celebration of a special life. Therefore I will start things off by sharing with you some things about Matthew Gives Plenty.
Like many kids born on the reservations Matt moved from one household to another. After spending time under the care of Annie St Marie he was whisked away to one of the assimilation schools. He was then transferred to Carlisle where he earned a spot on the traveling basketball team. He returned to the rez under some kind of mission program, but ‘regressed’ by learning and adopting the Traditional Ways of the People. For the remainder of his life he followed those Ways, while also maintaining his role in church membership. He became a ranch manager and championship rodeo rider. He achieved a lasting reputation of note by winning the all around championship of the Silverton rodeo in 1947, one of the most prestigious rodeo events during that time period. He progressed to managing larger and larger ranches, which moved him around to several different states. That is what he was doing when we found each other. We found each other through Pow wow dancing.
I was starting a family of my own when Matt made himself known to me. He had a great sense of timing. I was also starting to raise my own line of Appaloosa horses, to be founded by a beautiful bottle colt too young to be taken from the mare. After we established our ties he let me know he wanted to be part of our life and to make up for lost time. I was a young militant and the 70s were reaching a boiling point on that front , with Pine Ridge being an especially hot zone. Again. Matt managed to keep me free and healthy through his wise advice and kept me busy by mentoring me in our Old Ways. He also taught me how to raise a very special horse through imprinting and the practice of what he called Spiritual Horsemanship. He did that knowing it would help me become a better horseman and a better father. This took place years before most had ever heard of Pat Parelli or Natural Horsemanship. He spent a lot of time driving up to be with me while the colt grew to become a horse. We named the colt Wanbli Ohnhey Washteh/Eagle’s Good Shot, because he looked as though a high flying Eagle had dumped a load that splattered right on his rump, and because he was sired by famous stallion Red Eagle. That little colt was not the only thing that grew by leaps and bounds. The father/son relationship binding the two of us grew as well.
Matt, a quiet man, was a great teacher. He always used examples to illustrate his point. When he was sharing his understanding of the workings of nature and the universe, he took me to a quiet secluded place we adopted as a camp between pow wows in the hills northwest of Pine Ridge. Seated beneath the pines he showed me a beautiful Eagle feather.
He asked me to examine the feather closely to see the way it was constructed. He pointed out the main quill down the center, telling me he thought of the main quill as the “Good Red Road”. The Good Red Road was a term used to describe the Traditional Ways of the Old People. “The Old People” refers to Lakota lifestyle, beliefs, and practices, during pre-reservation times. The earliest time was called “days of the first Grandfathers”. He turned the feather over to show the underside.
A close examination of the underside clearly reveals the many smaller quills growing from the main quill. He told me that on this feather there was a quill for each living thing on the earth, including one for each of The People. He then carefully separated the bond between two of the secondary quills. Visible along the entire length of the secondary quill was a third tier of tiny quills branching away from that secondary quill exactly as it was growing from the main quill. Although they were so tiny it was impossible to see any more detail than that, he offered confidence the same thing happened a fourth time, enabling the air tight bonding of all into one. You can see in the photo the meshing between the secondary quills. Four is the Sacred number in Nature. He pointed out each of the four directions and named the four seasons to an annual cycle (circle) to illustrate the pattern of nature as seen in this feather. He explained that each of these parts of the feather had a role to play, working together in order so that this individual feather could serve it’s purpose among many feathers enabling the bird to survive, to thrive, to fly, to fulfill it’s role in maintaining the balance in nature. He explained that the Old Ways of the People were in harmony with nature, rather than trying to force, or change, nature to be something it was not. As he spoke he carefully put the separated secondary quills back together, smiling as the subsidiary ‘quills’ bonded the secondary quills back together so that the feather regained it’s original form. He explained that birds are revered as Sacred beings as taught in our old stories (I reject calling them “myths”), then handed the feather to me, instructing me to keep it safe and always remember the lesson it provides.
I could not suppress a smile of assenting approval. My art and drafting education had instilled a primary rule...”Repetition is the foundation of good design”. I never forgot either version of that rule, and I will never relinquish that feather so long as I live.
Matt instructed me in the art of feather work and how to make dance bustles, differentiating between ‘fancy dance’ (chicken dance) bustles and Traditional dance bustles. The feathers used for each are handled in a different way. The dance bustle of a Traditional Dancer represents the site of a battlefield after the battle. Feathers used are representative of the birds who descend on such a site to do what they do, thus the feathers used for these bustles are mostly from raptors who take prey and other birds which utilize carrion. These bustles have evolved over the years and several different styles are now evident on the dance ground. As is true of nearly all our crafts, feather work is very time consuming and laborious. Creating a dance bustle can take months or more, requiring multiple skill sets. Such a possession is very highly prized and is considered to be a Sacred article.
Each of the men’s Traditional dances focus on different aspects of a warrior’s role in protecting the People. Matt taught me about the different dances ( his favorite was the Scout dance), explaining that the dance should display, or tell the story of, the role accomplished as a warrior. Many movements included in dancing are mimicking movements made by birds. What I learned transformed me from a fancy dancer into a Traditional Dancer. Matt was exceedingly pleased to have me follow his guidance to Dance in the old way.
A bustle is a small part of the entire dance outfit (applying the term “costume” is offensive). There are Traditional dancers who do not even wear one, especially if they happen to be from areas to the south. However, intertribal interaction in more modern times has seen most tribes adopt things that are not truly traditional to them, so dance bustles are seen almost everywhere there is Pow Wow dancing. The same thing is true of the Eagle feather headdress.
Following are some additional articles I wear for dancing. The quilled armbands were Matt’s. The bone whistle is another old family hand-me-down. The breastplate and choker are made of strung hair pipes, white are deer legbone, black from buffalo horn, spaced with trade beads.
I learned so much from Matt I can’t begin to relate it all. I hope the above examples are indicative of the way our relationship grew. When I received the call that Matt was in the hospital and failing I immediately headed back from NW Montana to be with him in his South Dakota hospital room. When I walked in I was shocked. Matt was barely recognizable. He had been taller than average and of impressive size. You see him in his picture less than two years prior. He was popular wherever he went. Everyone liked Matt and looked up to him. What met me in that room was a person who had withered to little more than a shriveled skeleton. His hair had mostly fallen out during the (cancer) treatments. He perked up when I came in and we visited for some time. At length he began to feel uncomfortable and took hold of my arm, pulling me closer. He asked if I came prepared to do our prayer ceremony. I nodded, and he asked me to go get It, meanwhile pressing the buzzer to summon a hospital attendant. While I went out he asked them to please leave us alone without interruption. I returned and we did our Ceremony. When we finished he grasped the long stem close to his chest with one hand, pulling me close with the other. With teary eyes he told me “This is it, son. I want you to go get my things and keep them for me, for us. Wear them when they fly my flag. I will tell Ben to make the arrangements for Sho (nicked for Shotah) to have my name, and you to take my Father’s name.” Matt had taken a special liking to my (then) youngest son. And that was it. That was the last time I saw him. Before I left for home I did exactly as he instructed.
SO, that is what this Pow Wow is about for us. Matt’s flag will be raised and flown from the center pole and I will dance his things during every Traditional dance. By this time I had a new youngest son…
OK, it is time to get everything packed up so we can pile in and head southeast to the Fort Randal Pow Wow, and you’re all invited to come along!
We made it! Perfect timing too, as tomorrow will be the parade and opening ceremonies. In the meantime I will need to get our camp made. Uncle Ben met us as soon as we got on the grounds. He is a dignitary (treasurer, his name emblazed on the flyer), and guided me to where he thought would be a perfect spot to set up our tipi. It was in a nicely shaded spot under some very tall trees. I was ready for some rest, but I got busy getting everything set up. Then I’ll relax and let the road jitters fade away. I always felt the sight of a number of tipis in a camp to be a most pleasing sight.
At Sunrise the camp crier walks through the camp singing a Greet the Sun song. Later everyone goes to town to be in, or observe, the parade that ends up here at the grounds. The tribal Pow Wow crew will furnish us with two meals per day. All set? Let’s get this Pow Wow started!
As Pow Wows go this will be a smaller version. Sometimes those are the best as they are more local/family oriented. The parade is a very homespun affair. Of course, from my point of view, the more horses the better!
A loudspeaker blares out public announcements while the host Drum gets set up on the dance grounds. Then the drum starts and the singers begin with Flag Song and Veteran Song as the tribal flag is brought into the arena. The Veterans recently passed who will be honored at this Pow Wow will have their flag flown. Matt’s flag was the first raised.
I am inserting the following audio/video link to a Pine Ridge Pow Wow a few years ago. The Pow Wow proper begins at the 4:00 mark. My suggestion is that after starting the Pine Ridge link you scroll down through the rest of OUR Pow Wow pics while listening to the audio provided by the link. That will set the tone for our Pow Wow. At the conclusion of the diary I will provide additional video links to other pow wows I believe you will find very interesting and informative. They will provide video action of some top level contest dancing.
This will be a three day affair with dancing every afternoon and evening. At opening stage there are far fewer participants present than there will be later as many cannot come during the week. By Saturday the arena will be packed with dancers.
I hope you are listening to the drum from that video link and feeling the heartbeat.
There are other kinds of dancing besides Traditional Men’s style. I just didn’t have a chance to take many photos. Many of the older set will not allow their photo to be taken. Same was true for some elders in the stands watching. You never want to do anything objectionable. I got what I could get without creating a scene. That has changed over time but still persists for some. However, with many government policies remaining much as they were so long ago it is not difficult to understand why old time feelings of distrust remain unchanged.
During the afternoon session on the second day dancing stopped and the arena cleared. My family was gathered together for a special ceremony, one requested by Matt. Mr. Arrow and Uncle Ben oversaw the process through to conclusion.
Scattered throughout the powwow are many different kinds of dances. There are war dances, Scout dances. Sneak up dances. Rabbit dances. Two step dances. Jingle Dances. Shawl Dances. Fancy Dance dances. The Jingle Dance is mostly for younger ladies in very fancy outfits, the female version of male Fancy Dance. There are Shawl dances for women. Many different kinds of dances. The two-step is a social dance in which ladies choose a partner for that dance.
Now I’ll post some addition video links I highly recommend you watch them. The vids will give you some up close and personal sound and sight of top level dancing and great drums. Watch the movements of the Dancers. Try to FEEL the drumbeat. Don’t neglect to take note of some spectacular outfits on display. FEEL IT folks!
I appreciate your gracious attention to this diary for honoring Father Matt.
That concludes this Pow Wow diary. Wopila Tanka, nita kola, Appy. (Many thanks, your friend, Appy)