The Power of the Pow Wow
North Denver Tribune
September 20, 2007 edition THE POWER OF THE POWWOW View our Pow Wow photo gallery!
by Basha Cohen The sound of drums beating, the low chant of the Indian song, the
rustle of an eagle feather, the jingle of a dress...Join the International
Baccalaureate team at Brown Elementary in its annual celebration of the soul of
the American people, the Native American Indian.
The Powwow is the personification of all things Indian. It is a celebration of life through dancing,
singing,drumming and friendship. It is
the circle of life that was described by the great Oglala Sioux holy man, Black
Elk (1863-1950), as follows, “You have noticed that everything an Indian does
is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in
circles, and everything tries to be round...the sky is round, and I have heard
that the earth is round like a ball, and so are the stars. The wind, in its
greatest power whirls. Birds make their
nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours...Even the seasons
form a circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they
were. The life of a man is a circle from
childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. 
In the rich cultural landscape of Northwest Denver, we are
fortunate to have two of the six schools targeted by the Indian Education
Office and the Denver Public School system as part of their Focus School
program. It is a partnership between the
DPS and the American Indian community for the purpose of improving the
education of all children. The program
centralizes the enrollment of American
Indian students in three elementary schools (Brown, College View and Wyman),
one middle school (Merrill) and two high schools (CEC Middle College of Denver
and East High). This network allows for
an increased opportunity to develop an American Indian support system and help
reduce the feeling of isolation for many of these students. The recognition of the uniqueness of Indian
families, the diversity of Native cultures and values, and the importance of
traditions and customs are all underscored.
There are approximately 1100 Native students enrolled in the DPS school
system. At Brown elementary 10% of the
student body is of Native American descent. One local North Denver Native American parent, Jennifer Wolf,
captured the essence of this program and its meaning when asked what makes the
Powwow at Brown so special. She said,
“While growing up on the reservation, my family went to Powwows sometimes every
weekend, all over the country. I was raised with a deep sense of pride for
my Native American culture and was a shawl dancer. This is a pride I have emphasized in my
children from the time they were newborns swaddled in their traditional cradle
boards wearing baby moccasins. My son
came home from daycare last year very sad when he realized he was the only
Indian in his school. It was the very
next week that we attended the First Annual Brown Elementary Powwow. It was wonderful to walk him down the halls
and tell him that the next year he would not be the only Indian in his new
school. It was important for me to have
him attend not only a DPS Indian Focus school, but one with the highest ideals
of the benefits of cross cultural sharing.
It is so special that we have a school that respects and explores ideas
from cultures around the globe. Brown is
an integral part of the Northwest Denver Community and hopes to not only
increase understanding amongst its students, but to share the benefits with the
neighborhood.” If you are a newcomer to the Native American experience, it is amazing to witness the power of the
Powwow. On September 8th, the Denver Art
Museum hosted its 18th annual Friendship Powwow. The beauty of the costumes, the spirit and
the dance came alive with intertribal two step, men’s fancy, women’s
traditional, fancy shawl, jingle dress, men’s grass and the rabbit dance, to
name but a few. This is powerful stuff,
and impacts the lives of Indians who are equally at home in town and home on
the reservation. There are more than 560
recognized Indian tribes that participate in these events. No less than one hundred Powwows happen
nationally in the month of September alone.
One of the largest in the country is in Colorado every March. Kathryn Redhorse, a DPS Indian focus school
specialist, escorts all of the Indian students to the March Powwow and helps to
reinforce the sense of their deep rooted
history, “I was deeply motivated to be a part of this program because I
love working with kids, and wanted to give back to my community. The Indian education program is a wonderful
way to support students emotionally and educationally.”
Another fantastic example of committed parents/grandparents that
have put all of their energy into developing the Brown Elementary Powwow are
Tracy Reynolds, her husband, Charlie Blueback and her mother Marjorie Lidalda.
They worked tirelessly to create the first Powwow last fall. The reason it was worth all of the effort,
according to Tracy, “It is to preserve cultural pride.” She is self-effacing, and pushes the credit
out to everyone, but the truth is, she is a Northwest Denver beacon that
provides light to all parents that want to get involved, share a stake in their
children’s success, and continue a life filled with education at every
age. This goes beyond cultural boundaries. It is just plain fun. Bring your kids. Bring your parents. Bring your friends. As another Colorado Indian summer draws to a close
join our community in an entertaining
and educational day celebrating a very special part of our American
heritage. Don’t miss it!
Where: Brown Elementary
2550 Lowell Boulevard
303.477-1611
When: Saturday, October 6,
2007
10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
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