The Omaha Tribal Powwow

Powwows are generally ignored by academic anthropologists and historians, but tribal powwows are unlike any other festival. Most American Indian groups that have managed to maintain cultural vitality gather once a year to recharge their cultural batteries, to sing and dance, to eat and laugh, to celebrate family and community, to remember and renew. Tribes that have fragmented and weakened sometime join with other tribes to ensure that they will continue to play a role in the annual celebrations, whether or not they are specific to their own origins. On the Plains, powwows (and similar celebrations under other labels) usually occur from mid-summer to mid-fall and therefore are probably recognitions of the autumnal equinox, a worldwide phenomenon. To learn more about these vibrant, unique festivals, read on in this article, made available by The World & I Online.