Along the way I met native artist Keith Adams, and bought three of his paintings. This was at the Harvest Pow Wow in Sauk Village (they no longer go there). Bought a water color from a native artist at a Pow Wow at the fair grounds in Crown Point (they no longer go there). I had also attended a drum making event somewhere around Aurora where I made my own drum, and bought an air brushed bison on a skin. Also bought a couple native flutes from Dakota George.
What people don't realize is that native artists will paint or create the same theme, all original, all with slight or obvious differences. Their interpretation of life at the time they create. They do not use a master and make copies off the master. I mention this because I brought in my native bison water color to Michaels to have it framed. When I picked it up she said "nice print". I told her it's original. She said, "No it's not, you can tell by the boarder on the paper. Did the artist have others?" I said yes, and before she would listen she smiled and said again that it was a copy. I told her that the others in the pile were variations. Different color, different number of bison, different size bison, all of the same theme. She had already made up her mind.
I went to Keith Adams house to pick up one of my native flutes that I asked him to paint on. As I walked down to the basement the walls were lined with his paintings. I saw a few that looked like mine. He saw me look and quickly commented that they not the same as mine, just the same theme. I understood because I could see the difference in amount of paint, slight changes in positions in the theme. All great work.
Back to this pow wow. It was in Dowagiac, MI. Since retirement I had not really done anything for myself, and being it has been a long time since I went to a Pow Wow, I thought it would be cool to go to this one. I may even be able to buy some Michigan Lilys for the back yard. (Never found any.)
I arrived and the grounds were beautiful. Native operated. Only native vendors were there. As with all the Pow Wows I have gone to, I arrive to see the opening ceremony and a few dances, then I look around at the vendors. The lady announcer for this was really clear spoken. I really enjoyed her personality over the microphone. Opening ceremonies are different for each native group. You can see / hear the theme when you attend again. That is what makes it fun to go to one you have not been to. It grabs your attention.
Those who served are honored start if off, along with all of the military branches honored, and then the lead dancers (father and daughter for this pow wow) followed by others of different styles. I know I am missing something and not saying it right. What makes this special to me are the drum groups and dancers. The drums set the mood, the pace, the importance of the dance. The native dancers, like the native artists, get in a state of being from the drum group. They cannot help themselves but to break out into their expressions, their dance. Super cool. Super emotional. So individual with respect to everything that surrounds them. It brings you back to who you need to be, as one.
Here are some photographs I took. Please enjoy. Please attend a Pow Wow and understand what it means to be native and to be on this earth.
Drum raffle to one of the drummers for the day. My understanding is that last year this drum maker promised to make one and give it away this year. "Only made with good thoughts" as he put it. A young drummer won it.
Leaving the grounds a barnyard across the street had a lot what I thought were decorations or junk in the yard. I had to go back to look and found out I was wrong, it was live geese in the yard.
I do not remember what town this was in. Going home it was the last one before I-94 via GPS. Had to stop to take a photograph.
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