Doug Kerr
Well-known member
The Cherokee (Indian) Nation took essentially its present form with the enactment of its (second) constitution on September 6, 1839. This is celebrated every year on Labor Day weekend as the Cherokee National Holiday, held at the national capital in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (about 60 miles southeast of Tulsa). Carla and I went to Tahlequah for this year's event, a wonderful visit.
A major component of the Holiday is the Pow Wow, a competition of traditional Indian dance. The participants, wearing traditional regalia (always referred to as such, never as "costumes" or "outfits"), dance inside a circular grassy arena perhaps 100 feet in diameter. When the dances are in session, this is spoken of as the "sacred circle", recognizing the spiritual role of dance in the Indian culture (true of almost all tribes).
Music for the dances revolves around a large drum, played by four or more drummer-singers, often joined by other singers. The whole group, spoken of as "The Drum", is located at the center of the arena.
Here we see the arena and The Drum prior to commencement of the competitive dances, as the Gourd Dance was performed by a troupe of experienced dancers (this was actually shot during a lull in the dance):
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - The Gourd Dance
Carla had planned to enter this year's Pow Wow at the National Holiday in the "Women's Fancy Shawl" dance event (the events are distinguished by the class of regalia worn, with a different dance style for each). She had made a beautiful shawl featuring her signature colors, red and purple, carrying on the back the Great Seal of The Cherokee Nation. The bottom trim was a "frieze" of images of wolves - her Cherokee ancestry is of the Wolf Clan. She would wear it over a purple "buckskin-style" suit, with buckskin moccasins and a sparkling white cowboy hat.
When she arrived to register, she learned that since she was over age 54, she could not dance in the Women's Fancy Shawl event. (Carla is 72.) The only event open to her was the "Golden Age Women" event, in which women aged 55 and over dance a very sedate step wearing what we might think of as the Pow Wow equivalent of beautiful ball gowns. The audience is asked to stand during the event, out of respect for their "elders".
So she danced in that event in her Fancy Shawl regalia, performing the Kiowa "Butterfly Dance", often used in Fancy Shawl events. There were only a few competitors, and some of them gave her some really funny looks!
She did not place in the competition, having (to use the old metaphor) "brought a knife to a gunfight" (or perhaps more aptly, vice versa).
Here we see Carla in the Grand Entry into the arena:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Carla enters the arena
The dance event itself was fairly short and, unlike the other events, the participants did not move around in a circle. Accordingly, I did not have a good vantage point to catch Carla's dance. But this should give the idea:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Carla and the Butterfly Dance
(Sadly, I had made an improvident choice of flash exposure compensation just a bit earlier and this frame and the one we see following were badly underexposed. I didn't do anything to overcome the resulting noise level.)
Here's one of the other participants in that event, in her beautiful Golden Age regalia:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Golden Age Women participant
Not withstanding the "mismatch", Carla was very pleased with her participation and I was very proud of her for undertaking it. She received many compliments during the evening.
More on our visit in subsequent posts.
Best regards,
Doug
A major component of the Holiday is the Pow Wow, a competition of traditional Indian dance. The participants, wearing traditional regalia (always referred to as such, never as "costumes" or "outfits"), dance inside a circular grassy arena perhaps 100 feet in diameter. When the dances are in session, this is spoken of as the "sacred circle", recognizing the spiritual role of dance in the Indian culture (true of almost all tribes).
Music for the dances revolves around a large drum, played by four or more drummer-singers, often joined by other singers. The whole group, spoken of as "The Drum", is located at the center of the arena.
Here we see the arena and The Drum prior to commencement of the competitive dances, as the Gourd Dance was performed by a troupe of experienced dancers (this was actually shot during a lull in the dance):
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - The Gourd Dance
Carla had planned to enter this year's Pow Wow at the National Holiday in the "Women's Fancy Shawl" dance event (the events are distinguished by the class of regalia worn, with a different dance style for each). She had made a beautiful shawl featuring her signature colors, red and purple, carrying on the back the Great Seal of The Cherokee Nation. The bottom trim was a "frieze" of images of wolves - her Cherokee ancestry is of the Wolf Clan. She would wear it over a purple "buckskin-style" suit, with buckskin moccasins and a sparkling white cowboy hat.
When she arrived to register, she learned that since she was over age 54, she could not dance in the Women's Fancy Shawl event. (Carla is 72.) The only event open to her was the "Golden Age Women" event, in which women aged 55 and over dance a very sedate step wearing what we might think of as the Pow Wow equivalent of beautiful ball gowns. The audience is asked to stand during the event, out of respect for their "elders".
So she danced in that event in her Fancy Shawl regalia, performing the Kiowa "Butterfly Dance", often used in Fancy Shawl events. There were only a few competitors, and some of them gave her some really funny looks!
She did not place in the competition, having (to use the old metaphor) "brought a knife to a gunfight" (or perhaps more aptly, vice versa).
Here we see Carla in the Grand Entry into the arena:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Carla enters the arena
The dance event itself was fairly short and, unlike the other events, the participants did not move around in a circle. Accordingly, I did not have a good vantage point to catch Carla's dance. But this should give the idea:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Carla and the Butterfly Dance
(Sadly, I had made an improvident choice of flash exposure compensation just a bit earlier and this frame and the one we see following were badly underexposed. I didn't do anything to overcome the resulting noise level.)
Here's one of the other participants in that event, in her beautiful Golden Age regalia:
Douglas A. Kerr: Tahlequah 2010 - Golden Age Women participant
Not withstanding the "mismatch", Carla was very pleased with her participation and I was very proud of her for undertaking it. She received many compliments during the evening.
More on our visit in subsequent posts.
Best regards,
Doug
