ambience: drums, chanting, Pow-wow
Native American Pow-wows take place all over the country throughout the year. Although they’re often similar, many pow-wow’s have a unique local character, like this one, in Natchez, Mississippi. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.
Barnett: A pow-wow is a more complex event than you might think. If you come and watch the Indians dancing, you might think that that’s all that’s going on, but behind the scenes we have a head man singer, head lady singer, head drummers, head man dancers, head lady dancers, an arena director on and on.
Jim Barnett is Director of the Division of Historic Properties for the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; which administers the Grand Village of the Natchez.
So, it’s a very structured thing that takes place according to a schedule, an agenda that pow-wow people have come to expect. We think the pow-wow here at the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians is unique because most pow-wows are held at county fairgrounds or school athletic fields, whereas we have a pow-wow here that’s held on a real Native American ceremonial center a place where the Natchez Indians danced in prehistoric and early historic times. So, in a way, we are recreating history here.
We’re also very happy that descendants of the Natchez tribe are able to come every year and participate in this pow-wow and in so doing, walk and dance in the footsteps of their ancestors.
I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.