Powwow at Blackfeet Indian Nation
Once we decided to go to America, we went to see what fun events were scheduled in the state of Montana. We had read about powwow festivals before, but did not know when we would be in America. There are many powwows in Canada and America, but those of the Blackfeet and the Crows are two of the biggest.
Powwow
During a powwow, American Indians gather to sing, dance, see old friends and celebrate their rich ancestral history. The powwow begins with the Grand Entry. During this Grand Entry, everyone stands, songs are played and the American flag, the flag of the state of Montana and the flag of the Blackfeet are carried inside.
Carrying the American flag has several meanings for Native Americans. It is a way to remember all the ancestors who fought against the conquerors of their country. It is also a symbol of the country of which millions of Indians are a part. Finally, it is also showing respect for all Indians who fought for this country during wars.
Leading the way are war veterans carrying the American flag, behind them are tribal leaders, princesses, elders and pow-wow organizers. Next in line are the male dancers with the female dancers behind them. Once everyone is in the arena, a song is sung to honor the flags and the veterans. After this ceremony, everyone begins to dance.
Program
A powwow festival takes place every second weekend in July at the Blackfeet Nation in Browning. The huge festival site with covered wooden tent is filled with campers, trailers and fifthweels of visitors. There are a few food trucks and some stalls selling jewelry, blankets and other Indian items. On the grounds is a hotel with casino, a carnival and a horse racing track with grandstand.
There is a program, but the times change constantly, so it's best to let that go!
There is much to see, including:
- In the morning and evening a dance parade in the large wooden "tent"
- On Saturday, a parade through town
- Princesses are chosen
- There is a drumming contest
- Horse racing
- Indian Relay
- Bull Riding
- Bareback Bronc Riding
- Breakaway roping
- Calf roping
- etc.
Indian Relay
Of everything we saw, we found Indian Relay the most impressive. Once the race starts, then a special music is played (The song is called: Stadium Powwow by The Halluci Nation and Black Bear). At that moment, everyone stands up and you can feel the energy going through the stadium.
Brief explanation of the competition
There are five tribes competing against each other. Each team has 1 jockey, 1 mugger, 2 holders and 3 horses. The start does not take place from a starting box, but from a fictitious starting line. To get the horses all calmly lined up is very difficult, so sometimes a horse already starts running and opponents in the stands immediately start shouting. The horses are not saddled, the riders are loose on the horse's back and are incredibly impressive jockeys.
After the starting signal, the horses start their first lap and come towards the finish line at high speed (64km/hour). There the mugger stands swaying and with the jockey tries to bring the horse to an abrupt stop and make sure it does not get in the way. The jockey jumps off the horse before the horse is stationary and tries to jump onto the back of the next horse, which has been readied by the other holder, with as few steps as possible. Horses never stay still, so this is sometimes tricky. They do this switch again and, of course, the first one to cross the finish line is the winner.
History
Within Indian tribes, the oral tradition of the origin of the Indian relay varies quite a bit. But whatever the origin of the relay, the role of the horse is very important to the tribes. The horse used to be considered sacred by many tribal cultures and revered by all. The Indian relay is an ultimate challenge to test the horse, the rider and the team.
Everything is about tradition, pride and also the price money. We read that the grand prize for the winner of the World Championship is USD$90,000.
We later discovered that there is also a lot of gambling in the stands at the games, especially by the elderly.
Campground and entrance
We were at the adjacent Sleeping Wolf campground and were able to walk to the Powwow grounds. Entrance to the grounds is USD$5.00 per person/per day.
Alcohol and drugs
Throughout the weekend there was a ban on selling and bringing alcohol and drugs. We later heard from a U.S. serviceman living there that there is a lot of alcohol addiction in Browning. Good choice to ban it, as there were thousands of men, women and children there.
Awesome experience
Although everyone is welcome to attend the powwow, there are still mainly Indians and no other Americans. The powwow is an annual celebration where everyone greets each other and enjoys sharing this tradition.
There is so much to see that the days flew by. We had a wonderful time immersing ourselves in a tradition that the Blackfeet make a very beautiful celebration for young and old alike. We have tremendous respect for keeping the traditions alive, that they can hold on to who they are and show it. They are also beautiful and photogenic people to behold.
