Nebraskaland

28 Nebraskaland • August-September 2023 The Ponca Powwow T he 29th Annual Northern Ponca Tribe Powwow is Aug. 11-13, 2023, with grand entries — ceremonial entrances to the grounds by tribal dancers — at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. Sunday. The powwow grounds are located 1 mile west of Niobrara on Highway 12: If coming from the east, turn left at the Ponca sign, located across Niobrara State Park, and follow the pavement. All dancers and spectators are welcome. Ponca Culture Director Richard Wright Jr. shares insights on this sacred Native American tradition. Q: What is the purpose of the powwow? A: The powwow is about our people coming together with friends and family and practicing our culture, traditions and way of life. I think it's especially signifi cant with the Northern Ponca because we're so spread out. It gives us an opportunity to come together and be one. We've been having this powwow since 1994, but there were powwows that took place prior to our termination [by the United States Congress] in 1962. Powwow, itself, is relatively modern. You're talking about the late 1800s to early 1900s. The word "powwow" actually comes from an Algonquian word "pau wau," meaning "medicine man," and it got interpreted later on by the early settlers as a gathering of some kind. So, we actually took that word back and made it our own. Our traditional range in Nebraska goes all the way from Sioux City to the Black Hills and then down south to Lincoln —Lincoln was where we'd go to collect our salt. The Southern Ponca Tribe [whose ancestors were Nebraska Ponca people who were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory in present- day Oklahoma in the mid-1800s] has had a major impact on the powwow circuit itself, creating the straight dancers, the fancy dancers and grass dancers. The Ponca songs that were created have also had an impact — you'll literally hear them all across the country at diff erent powwows. Q: If the powwow is a new tradition, what was the impetus for its creation? A: This tradition started — a lot of it — due to the boarding schools and the breaking up of families. Powwow was a time for us to come together. Q: What are the main elements of a powwow? A: Usually, we'll start off the morning with a contest of some kind. This year, we're doing archery, horseshoe and cornhole tournaments. There's always contest, because we love to compete. We also do a walk/ run for diabetes through our health department. There are powwows I've seen that have carnival rides, fi reworks shows — I've seen a little bit of everything at diff erent powwows. And then we'll usually go right into Grand Entry and do a fl ag song [equivalent to the national anthem], veteran's song and prayer song. Next, we'll go into intertribals [when all competitors and visitors are welcome to dance], and within that, each drum group will take turns doing diff erent intertribal songs. Our powwow is unique because we invite both southern and northern drum types — with the northern drum being a little higher pitched, and there's a little bit of a diff erent rhythm to its beat. Another signifi cant thing about northern drums is that they set up on the outside of the arena around the circle, and the southern drums will set up in the center of Above: Dreamcatchers sold by a vendor at the Northern Ponca Tribe Powwow near Niobrara. Opposite: A couple of elder Ponca men perform the men's northern traditional dance. Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley

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