Cabazon Indio XXXIV Indio POWWOW

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click photo to enlarge		 The first time we were ever at an Indian POWWOW was back in the early 90s. We were on vacation and were in Salamanca New York coming home from Watkins Glen in the Finger Lakes region. I remember this town for two things...  there happened to be this Indian POWWOW so we stopped to see what it was all about and the fact that some moron pulled the fire alarm in the hotel we were in during the middle of the night. LOL Anyway, we had never really heard anything about POWWOWs in the Cleveland area so when we moved out to CA we saw that many of the local tribes have hold them each year.

 


click photo to enlarge		 I like this one because it is indoors so no matter what is going on outside it is comfortable. We have been to a few where it is over 100 degrees outside and you are sitting baking in the hot sun. The POWOW is more than just a competition it is a gathering of families. There is often 3 to 4 generations of a family together for the event and they all take part; male and female, young to old. For us non Indian folk it gives us a glimpse into some old Indian traditions and if you look at the little girls costume in the lower left you will see they have integrated the modern Hello Kitty into her costume. There is a tremendous amount of work and effort that goes into these beautiful and elaborate costumes.

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               click photo to enlarge