I attended the Grand Portage Annual Powwow this past weekend—and what a spectacle it was.
The very young, the young, the older, the old and the very old. Prancing, bustling and shimmying in circles to the spine-rattling beat of tribal drums the size of 55-gallon barrels. Head and body feathers on the wing. Jingle dresses jingling. Chanters chanting. Lost in sacred moments.
Beyond the sensory vividness of the event, the most striking thing to me was how the ceremony dramatized generational unity.
Which seems like such an arcane state of being compared to modern, tech-addicted “non-native” generations, all whom now seem be in each other’s faces. Blaming, labeling, splintering, crumbling and scrolling ourselves far away from one another.
Ways in which we’re currently dramatizing our generational disunity.
Granted, this is just a personal observation, but it’s one that makes me a little sad. Maybe even fills me with envy and longing.
And it’s entirely possible that I got too big of a whiff of sage smoke from the smudge pot.
Still, on the surface, the powwow was a sight to behold and you may behold it yourself via the miracle of YouTube (a past event).
Peace, Love & Unity to you all,
Mark
cant wait to watch the video thnx missed pow-wow here in Baraga next year for sure got a wolf for a neighbour here! hope you get to fish some
Yes, the vid is great and thanks for reading, as always! WOLF as a "neighbor" is about the coolest thing I've heard all day.🙌