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>> A POW WOW IS A GROUP OF
NATIVE AMERICANS THAT WORK
TOGETHER AND PULL TOGETHER
TO HOLD ON TO THEIR
HISTORY AND THEIR
EDUCATION BECAUSE
THEY'RE LOSING IT LITTLE
BY LITTLE. IT'S DYING
OUT. WE JUST TRYING TO
HOLD ON TO IT. WE LOVE
HAVING POW WOWS. WE ARE
INTERTRIBAL TRIBE. AND
THAT GIVES ALL DIFFERENT
TRIBES, YOU KNOW LIKE
CHEROKEE, CHOCTOW,
CHICKASAW, NO MATTER WHAT
TRIBE OF INDIAN YOU ARE.
WHEN WE SAY INTERTRIBAL,
THAT MEANS ALL TRIBES CAN
COME TOGETHER AS ONE. AND
WE CAN CELEBRATE AND
REMEMBER OUR HISTORY AND
REMEMBER WHERE WE COME
FROM. >>SPIRITUALITY AND
PLUS THE WAY WE DO THINGS,
THE WAY WE RELATE TO OTHER
PEOPLE. FOR ME, IT'S A
MATTER OF SEEING FAMILY.
BECAUSE THIS IS ONE LARGE
EXTENDED FAMILY. WE'RE
ALL RELATED IN SOME WAY OR
MEANS. >>I'VE BEEN DOING
POW WOWS OVER 30 YEARS.
I'M 69 YEARS OLD AND THE
HERITAGE MEANS A LOT TO
ME. MY REGALIA IS MADE UP
OF TRADITIONAL SHAWNEE.
EVERYTHING ON IT IS HAND
STITCHED. BEING A NATIVE
AMERICAN, TO ME, IT'S
SOMETHING TO BE VERY PROUD
OF. >>IT'S HARD
SOMETIMES BEING A NATIVE
AMERICAN, BUT BEING A
NATIVE AMERICAN, I AM WHAT
I AM. THAT'S MY BEING.
BUT I'M MEZCLAROPACHI
AND THAT'S WHY I COME TO
THE POW WOWS, TO CELEBRATE
MY WARRIOR, WARRIOR BEING.
>>INDIANS PRIDE
THEMSELVES. INDIANS,
NATIVE AMERICANS, BUT THEY
PRIDE THEMSELVES ON THEIR
JEWELRY, ON THEIR WEAR.
WHEN THEY MADE THEIR
LEATHER, PEOPLE SEE THE
TASSELS. THESE AREN'T
JUST DECORATION. WHAT THIS
DOES, THE TASSELS ACTUALLY
CAUSE THE WATER, IF THEY
GET WET, TO LEACH OUT,
JUST LIKE YOUR HAIR DRAWS
THE WATER TO THE BOTTOM OF
YOUR HAIR WHEN YOU DRY IT,
IF YOU HAVE LONG HAIR.
SAME THING, THEY
DISCOVERED THAT. AND THEY
MAKE ALL THESE TASSELS TO
DRAW THE WATER OUT WHEN
YOU GET WET. SO, THERE'S
ALL TYPES OF HIDDEN
KNOWLEDGE IN WHAT THEY
DID. A LOT OF THE
NECKLACES AND ARTWORK HAVE
TO DO WITH WHERE THEY'RE
MADE. IF YOU'RE OUT
WEST, YOU'RE GONNA FIND
A LOT OF TURQUOISE AND
SILVER AND SOME GOLD IN
THE PRODUCTS. WHEREAS IF
YOU'RE ON THE EAST
COAST, YOU MAY FIND
JEWELRY MADE MORE OUT OF
THINGS LIKE GRAINS, CORN.
IF YOU'RE OUT WEST, THE
CLOTHES WERE LEATHER
BECAUSE THEY WERE MADE
FROM THE ANIMALS, WHEREAS
ON THE EAST COAST, THEY
STARTED TRADING MUCH
SOONEER WITH THE WHITE
MEN, SO THEY USE LINENS
AND COTTONS FOR THEIR
CLOTHES. AND I THINK THAT
YOU'LL FIND, WHEN YOU
LOOK AROUND, THAT A LOT OF
PEOPLE ARE VERY PROUD OF
THAT HERITAGE. >>MOST
NATIVE AMERICANS GOT TWO
NAMES. JUST LIKE MINE IS
HOWARD W. OXIDINE.
THAT'S MY GOVERNMENT
NAME. AND MY INDIAN NAME
IS RED EAGLE. I'M NATIVE
AMERICAN AND I LOVE BEING
NATIVE AMERICAN. BUT A LOT
OF OUR CHILDREN TODAY,
THEY'RE GOING OUT INTO
THE WORLD AND THEY FORGET
ABOUT OUR HISTORY. THE
OLDER GROUP WANTS TO HOLD
ON TO THEIR HISTORY. I
LOVE BOTH CULTURES. I LOVE
THE EUROPEAN WAY AND I
LOVE THE NATIVE AMERICAN
WAY. BUT I LOVE THE NATIVE
AMERICAN WAY BEST.
THAT'S OUR HISTORY,
HOLDING ON TO IT. AND I
LOVE COMING TO POW WOWS.
AND THAT GIVES US TIME TO