Photo by Mar* Pynes
Carrying flags and waarlng taathars, Native Americans gathered to socialize and dance at McArthur
Court this weekend.
Native Americans chant,
dance at 14th pow-wow
By Kevan Houser
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Eerie, dreamlike chanting fills
McArthur Court. Forty couples'
feet step to the beat of the
drums. The men's bells clank in
rhythm, as the colorfully garbed
dancers proceed in a circle
A crowd of 100 watch the owl
dance, one of many attractions
presented at the 14th annual
Native American pow-wow
Others mill about the gymna
sium Some buy fried bread
and Coke, some examine hand
icrafts But the food and
merchandise are just a sidelight
to the dancing and socializing
Oklahoma gourd dancing,
Eskimo dancing, and competi
tive dancing brought par
ticipants and spectators to the
pow-wow sponsored by the
University Native American
Student Union
"The pow-wow is for people
to meet, to be together, to wish
each other well It’s a time for all
the tribes to be in one heart,"
says Frances Martinez of Port
land She and two of her chil
dren participated in some of the
dancing
During the intertribal dances,
anyone is welcome to join
Some dancers wear jeans and
tennis shoes
Even those in full regalia
make concessions to the times
Metal bells replace deerhooves
or shells Plastic has usurped
bone in some breastplates,
because it's lighter for the
dancers
Competitive dancing, a
popular event, features men
and women of different age
groups performing traditional
and fancy, or feather, dancing.
Fancy dancing is fairly new. Its
origins are in Oklahaoma about
1960, says White Eagle Horse
Hite of Drewsey
One of the fancy dancers is
Deek Heykamp, 17, of Cottage
Grove. Although he is not an
Indian, he has been dancing for
six years, becoming involved
through the Boy Scouts.
His green and yellow dress
seemes appropriate for a pow
wow at the University, but he
says it’s only a coincidence
Fancy dancers have greater
choice of colors than the tradi
tional dancers who must avoid
certain colors because of tribal
meanings
One can buy the necessary
materials to put together regalia
from Indian hobby shops, says
Heykamp After getting the
materials, he spent about six
months putting them together.
Elaborate regalia worn by
men may include moccasins,
Angora, bells, a breechcloth, a
ribbon shirt, a breastplate, and
beaded belt or suspenders.
There are many types of head
dresses, ranging from war bon
nets to coyote headpieces, to
buffalo horns. Most common at
the pow-wow were roaches.
“Roaches" are made with por
cupine quills, deer tails, or
horse hair. The men may also
wear feathers — one feather
signifies a single man, two a
married man.
The fancy dancers, like Hey
kamp, wore two circles of
feathers on their backs, called
bustles
A beaded choker and a dance
wand may complete the outfit.
Some regalia represent $500
to $2,000 worth of work, Martin
ez says.
While the 13 to 18-year-old
boys compete. Hite explains
that they are being judged on
their timing and the smoothness
and grace of their movements.
The dancers should listen to the
drum, become part of it, he says.
Should part of a dancer's
regalia, even a single feather,
come loose and fall, he would
be disqualified.
Much to his surprise, Hey
kamp, a blue-eyed blond,
places first place in his division.
This is his fourth pow-wow here,
but the first time he has even
placed among the top three fin
ishers.
“I thought I might have had a
chance to place, but I didn't
expect to win,” Heykamp says.
He says that now, he feels ac
cepted by the Indians.
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