PowWow at Pine Point

We live just seven miles from the Reservation.  The public is invited every year to the PowWow.  Far Guy and I went over on Saturday evening between rain showers.

No photographs are allowed during the Peace Pipe Prayer Ceremony.  Other than that, you can take photographs.

The Flags are honored in the Grand Entry.  They make one circle around the drummers and then the dancers dance another circle around the flag bearers, who are all men who have been or are in the Military.  The entire PowWow area is made up of circles..everything is done in a circle.

This is the first year I noticed the turtle shield.  I was curious..curiosity should be my middle name.  It seems that there is a story about an Indian Brave who lost a battle, everything was taken from him..even his clothing.  He ran wildly through the woods when all of a sudden he heard his native drum and recognized the singing.  He swam across a river to get there, while he was in the river a snapping turtle attached itself to his arm, he ran screaming into the camp, dancing wildly..since then turtle shields are used during ceremonial dances to remember this great warrior.  In the photo above, the dancer is carrying eagle feathers in his left hand and a deer antler in his right hand..he honors these animal spirits by dancing with them as part of his Regalia.

I also saw a turtle rattle, this is attributed to an Anishinabe Tale of an Indian brave who tripped over a turtle and felt bad because the turtle was just soft skin and bone, he brought two shells and placed them on each side of the turtle and said “Here is your protection, you can carry your home with you always.”  The turtle could live on land or in the water, the shell is like Mother Earth a round hump that resembles hills and mountains.  The turtle can also represent a long life.

The men dancers seemed to outshine the women this year.  Many of the dancers I recognized from last year, it was a very nice way to spend the evening:)