Posted at 12:12 p.m., Wednesday, October 24, 2007
National Indian education group to hold pow wow
Advertiser Staff
The National Indian Education Association will Friday night host a pow wow at the Hawaii Convention Center.The pow wow, set for 6 p.m. to midnight, is part of the 38th annual NIEA Convention. More than 3,000 indigenous people are expected to participate in the convention, which is held each year at different locations throughout the United States.
The pow wow, which is free and open to the public, will feature Native American dancing, drumming, singing, flute performances, arts and crafts, and food. It is a drug- and alcohol-free event.
The event will feature pow wow dancers and singers including: Head Man Dancer, Joseph Hacker (Rosebud Lakota); Head Woman Dancer, Tawny Hale (Navajo), and Head Veteran Dancer, Forrest Two Crow (Arikara/Santee Sioux). Other staff includes: Northern Arena Director, Thomas Rowland (Oglala Lakota), Southern Arena Director, Davey Malie (Pueblo Acoma/Zuni), and Master of Ceremonies Dennis Bowen (Seneca). Michael and James Ahuna (Native Hawaiian) will be hoop dancing. Yellow Face Drum will be Host Drum.
Megan Young, the current Miss Indian World, will be at the pow wow. Young, 21, is a member of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and from the Wind Clan People. The Poarch Creek Band were once apart of the Muskogee Creek Nation now residing in Oklahoma. The Poarch Band reservation is located in Atmore, Alabama, in Southern Alabama.
The pow wow starts with Grand Entry. Special guests and all dancers will enter the Arena in a carefully ordered procession. Flag bearers carry, then post, the colors of the United States and various Native American Nations.
Kumu Hula John Lake's halau, Halau Mele, will offer the opening Pule and Oli. Then a Native American invocation will be offered to express gratitude and to ask for harmony and balance for the duration of the pow wow.
Intertribal dancing and exhibition dancing will follow. Intertribal means that dancers from all nations and all categories of dance will be in the Arena. Every dance has it's own story and significance. Each dancer will express themselves individually and will represent their Nation. Grass dancers, northern and southern style traditional dancers, fancy dancers, and jingle dancers will dazzle the crowd with their agility, grace, and breathtaking regalia.
NIEA is membership based organization committed to increasing educational opportunities and resources for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian students while protecting cultural and linguistic traditions. Founded in 1969, NIEA is the largest and oldest Indian education organization in the nation and strives to keep Indian Country moving toward educational equity. The convention is designed for school administrators, school board members, teachers, students, parents, elders, and Tribal leaders who will attend workshops, seminars, and meetings every day from 8 am to 6 pm. For more information on the annual convention, go to www.niea.org
