How Did The Powwow Influence On American Culture

Powwow is a celebration of the rich culture and history of Native Americans. “Pauwauing” referred to a religious ceremony for curing the sick and consisted of a gathering of spiritual leaders. European explorers observed this religious practice and dances in the 1800s. The Europeans mispronounced the name for the gathering as “powwow”. This leads us to the pronunciation of the word today and adaptation. Nonetheless, gatherings similar to powwows existed long before European settlement. Dances have always been an important aspect of the life of Native Americans and a part of their culture. Dances were associated with homecoming celebrations, religious ceremonies, reaffirmed alliances, and events sponsored by extended family. However, a big difference today is that the modern powwow is open to all people that want to come and not just neighboring tribes. Additionally, the powwow did not allow women to actively participate but the number of Native Americans has decreased through the years. This lead to the acceptance of Indian women in the powwow traditions. In the nineteenth century the U.S. government …show more content…
Indian singers and dancers started to travel and this lead to the modern powwow’s Grand Entry. Some performers performed exaggerated war dances to entertain traveling pioneers. It created an element of showmanship. World War I and II brought back quite a few traditions to memorialize American Indian veterans. It became a major part of the ceremony and is continued to be honored today. Furthermore, Inter-Tribalism began and the sharing of dances, songs, clothing, food, and art started to happen. This also started the beginning of contests and dance competitions. The prizes grew and the organization of competition powwow. Furthermore, the larger casinos got involved in promoting competition and non-competition powwows to promote the culture of the tribe that owned or operated the