Community and cultural tradition at 10th Annual Colorado Springs Intertribal Powwow

By Haley Witt August 9, 2018 | updated 8 years ago

The 8th Annual Colorado Springs Native American Intertribal Powwow was held at the Mortgage Solutions Financial Expo Center on Saturday, July 16, 2016. Photo by Ryan Jones, The Gazette. (Ryan Jones)

10th annual Colorado Springs Intertribal Powwow, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Saturday, Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Road, No. 3; $5 admission, free for children 12 and under and for Native Americans in full regalia. coloradospringspowwow.org

Tiny feet touch the ground in rhythm with the pounding drums.

No more than 5 years old, their small bodies are adorned with traditional regalia.

These children are the future of Native American culture, said Al Walter, chairman of the Colorado Springs Powwow Committee.

At the annual Colorado Springs Intertribal Powwow, they learn from their elders and families, watching them move around the dance circle before participating in their own Tiny Tots dance.

The 10th annual powwow will feature Indian food, art and performances from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Norris Penrose Event Center. It’s an opportunity for tribes to gather and for the broader community to learn about their traditions.

“It’s almost like sensory overload,” Walter said. “When you walk in, the first thing that hits you is the sound of the drums. To the natives, that’s the sound of Mother Earth’s heartbeat. The drum is very important to all of their traditions. Then you hear the sounds of the singing. The songs that they sing go back hundreds of years in their traditions and culture.”

The drums and songs breathe life into the dancers’ movements.

“The different tribes, their style of dance and singing is a little different,” Walter said. “We have northern and southern drums to accommodate all of the different native tribes that are represented at our powwow. Colorado Springs has representation from a number of tribes here. We try in our powwow to make sure that we have songs and drums that they can dance to and they can relate to.”

Of the many dances performed, the Oklahoma Feather Dance — or “fancy dance” — is typically the crowd favorite for its fast-paced movement and brightly colored regalia, Walter said. Although popular, it’s an invention of the modern powwow, not a traditional dance.

“Ours is a traditional powwow,” he said. “People come in the ‘old way,’ which is typically to come to meet old friends, make new friends, dance, sing and celebrate our culture. Our primary objective is to bring the local native community together.”

For some special dances, the audience will be invited to participate, the only time non-natives are allowed into the dance circle. The powwow is intended to enlighten non-natives about Native American traditions and to foster cultural understanding.

“A lot of natives that come to our powwow are perfectly willing to answer questions that people have and pose for pictures if people want them. Just to interact with non-natives and try to dispel some of the stereotypes people have about the natives and the native community, and hopefully have non-natives understand beliefs about native people, about Mother Earth, preserving wildlife, preserving environment and that type of thing.”

Birds of prey and wolves are significant to Native American culture, and nonprofits HawkQuest and Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation will showcase raptors and wolves at the event.

Food and handmade goods will be available for purchase. Admission is $5, but it’s free for children 12 and under and for Native Americans dressed in traditional regalia.

All profits go to support the local nonprofit One Nation Walking Together.

Unlike the typical “dump and run” at reservations, One Nation Walking Together serves communities on request, to reduce excess donations and target the assistance, Walter said.

“For example, a reservation like Pine Ridge up in South Dakota will call up and say, ‘We need certain items of furniture or medical equipment.’ One Nation will load an 18-wheeler, a tractor-trailer, with those items at no cost to the community.”

The powwow draws 2,500 to 3,000 people each year, and Walter said hearing from individual families makes the hard work most worthwhile.

“My wife and I start working this in January. At the end of the day, at the end of the powwow, the most rewarding thing for us is for people coming up and saying, ‘Our family really enjoyed this. We learned a lot, and we want to come back again next year.’ That’s the reward to us. People can come, have a good time and leave their cares at the door and just enjoy native culture the way it was many years ago and just have a fun day.”

Haley Witt, The gazette,

haley.witt@gazette.com

10th Annual Colorado Springs Intertribal Powwow, Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m Norris Penrose Event Center, 1045 Lower Gold Camp Rd # 3; $5; Free admission for children 12 and under and Native Americans in full regalia. coloradospringspowwow.org