You
can smell sage and hear the rhythmic beat of the drum....welcome to the Founders
Day Pow Wow
at NOAC 2002. The Pow Wow was huge!
The arbor was the setting for a humongous center drum core of three drums and at least twenty singers, a
secondary drum core,
and roughly 250 dancers from all over the United States.
The
American Indian Activities staff worked hard to bring this fun event to Arrowmen
who participate in American Indian
dancing. Since women and adult men, cannot compete in American Indian events
at NOAC, it is the only opportunity for them to participate in the fun and excitement of dancing.
The
Pow Wow started with a procession led with the United States flag followed by at
least twenty state flags and all the participants. There were so many
dancers in the arbor that the grass had to compete for sunlight.
After the procession, everyone
participated in a variety of intertribal dances. Dancers, some wearing
regalia, were moved to participate in the activity by the cadenced beat of the
drum.
Dancers
participated in a blanket dance for the Maury Clancy Indian Campership Fund.
During a blanket dance, a blanket is place on the ground while participants
dance around it and make donations to a specific cause or to the host of the pow wow.
The Maury Clancy Indian Campership Fund is a trust that supports Native
America youth in attending summer camps and other scouting activities.
Revised 7/31/02