Saturday Part 1

 

Yesterday, Saturday, was a great day here.  Several activities were happening around the area, and I actually had to miss a nice hike with the Rusty Iron Trekkers because of a conflict.  I am going to split this post into 2 days because of all of the photos that I would like to show.

Around noon, I drove over to the Paiute Reservation for the Paiute Restoration Gathering Powwow.  This annual event celebrates the federal restoration of the tribe’s recognition.  There are 5 different Paiute groups in Utah, and our local one is the Cedar Band.  This Powwow was an all nations, and I do not know how many tribes participated besides the various Paiutes, but for sure there were also Navajo and Shoshone.   Some came from as far away as Idaho.  There were softball and handball tournaments, food, and venders.   Of course, I perused what the venders had to offer, but my main interest was the dancers and their regalia.  Leather, beadwork, feathers, and bright colors. 

At 1 PM, there was a grand entrance into the outdoor arena.  Then the various age groups and different dancing styles were showcased one by one.  It was pretty hot, in the low 90’s, so they kept the showcases short. The main dance event would take place that evening with the announcing of the winners.  The categories went from Tiny Tots to Seniors.  Some of those little kids could really dance, and it was also nice to see the seniors who had probably been doing this for many years.  I admired and respected the continuation of the traditions that the US government had tried to squelch for many years in the past. 

There were also drumming/singing  groups from at least 5 tribes that accompanied the dancers.  The beat of the drums is designed to put the dancers (and the audience) into an altered state of consciousness so that the dances become an ecstatic process. 

Below are photos and a few videos from the Powwow.