Pride
in Indian Culture,
Heritage Resurging, Says Old Elk
By Rudi Williams
American Forces Press Service
EDGEWATER, Md., Nov. 20, 2003
"Powwows are important to native culture, because at
one time we were not allowed to be Indians," said Clayton
Old Elk, a member of the Crow Indian Tribe of Montana.
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Doug
Hall, a member of the Odawa tribe of Minnesota, carries
the eagle staff, the traditional American Indian flag,
as he leads the procession into the ceremonial areas during
American Indian Intertribal Cultural Organization Second
Annual Veterans Powwow celebration, held at Central Middle
School in Edgewater, Md., Nov. 8. Photo by Rudi Williams.
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution
image available. |
"We weren't
even allowed to practice our religion, our language, to sing
our songs or dance our dances. They said it was sacrilegious,"
said Old Elk, master of ceremonies at the American Indian
Intertribal Cultural Organization Second Annual Veterans Powwow
celebration, held at Central Middle School here Nov. 8.
AIITCO, a non-profit association
established in 1983, offers its members the experience of
cross-cultural sharing of tribal histories, customs and traditions,
which helps preserve American Indian heritage.
As the sounds of thundering
drumbeats and "vocables" echoed through the school's
gym, the grand entry ceremony was led by Doug Hall, who was
carrying the eagle staff, the traditional American Indian
flag. Hall, a member of the Odawa tribe of Minnesota, was
decked out in a multicolored ribbon outfit and was followed
by the three-man color guard of the Washington metro chapter
of the Vietnam Era Veterans Intertribal Association.
Next came headman Walter
Reed of the Lenni-Lenape tribe of New Jersey, part of the
Algonquin nation. The headlady was his wife, Justine Reed,
a mixture of the Seneca, Ojibwe and Lakota tribes. In leading
the group of dancers into the ceremonial area, both performed
their respective roles as headman and headlady.
Full
Story
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