We all had a fun cultural experience this weekend. Our tribal representative suggested that we go to a Native American powwow that was in a neighboring town. It has been about 10 years since our family attended a powwow so some of my adopted children had never been to one.

The children were quite excited by the sites and the sounds. We watched the native dancers move to the beating of the drums dressed in feathers, bright colors, and fine leathers. Apparently, the beating of the drums made Amigrace feel like dancing too, but nobody seemed to mind.

We could smell the aroma of some traditional Native American foods being prepared for the dinner. The children kept saying they were hungry, probably because the food smelled so good.

There were many booths set up with traditional goods for sale. Many were handmade by the families running the booths. You could purchase mittens made of skunk fur for around $200. They were about 18 inches long so each must have used a whole skunk fur. The lady story teller had a skunk purse, the closing flap was the skunks face.

We listened to her weave a story of Indian legend using a magnetic board with some paper figures to keep the children’s attention. She told us the story of how the Lynx got the long tufts of hair at the tips of his ears. I was surprised by how attentive the children were to the story, including my 14 month old.

Fortunately, most of the booths only took cash, so I was limited to spending the $40 I had in my purse. I could have easily accessorized my house and my children. We purchased a small sun catcher with an Indian painting on it and feathers hanging below. We also bought a t-shirt and a hand carved recorder that had a carved Indian face, fur, and rocks on it.

It was a fun and interesting afternoon outing for the children. They experienced a little piece of Native American Culture for the first time. I am sure it won’t be the last as our tribal representative wants to see us offering more exposure.


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