The New Mexico spring winds were not kind Sunday afternoon, but that did not deter hundreds of people from gathering to witness Indigenous dancers dressed in their traditional regalia moving to the beat of drums surrounded by onlookers in a circle.
The Nizhoni Days Powwow, hosted by the Kiva Club at the University of New Mexico, had both competitive and open dancing that welcomed anyone to join.
Dancer Wa膷i Winyan Edwards-King is Omaha, Oglala and Sicangu Lakota and Northern Cheyene from Omaha, Nebraska. She鈥檚 been dancing since she was three years old and said it鈥檚 a way to express herself.
鈥淪ometimes there's not a healthy way for you to put your feelings, you know what I mean, sometimes people can't talk about it, or they can't write about it,鈥� said Edwards King. 鈥淪o whenever I鈥檓 feeling down, I go to a powwow to really uplift my spirit, and it's healing to me. And not only myself and my family but for those who can't dance or walk. And you know, I dance for the people who can't dance. So powwows are just a really good outlet for me to be able to express myself and just share my medicine with the other people.鈥�
Edwards-King created her entire outfit with her mother.
鈥淩ight now, I have on a green dress that I made in honor of my babies that I lost,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd then I have on my dentalium hair ties, my leggings and mocs, and I normally would have my breastplate and feathers in. And then I have my cape on, it has my plumes.鈥�
She said it represents who she is and her family and that there is significance in every dancer's attire.
鈥淎 lot of outfits, not just myself, but people out there, it tells a story of who they are, and a lot of their beadwork is like their family's older designs that represent who they are and where they come from,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o you can tell who a person is by their designs on their beadwork, or their outfits.鈥�
鈥淚'm half Oglala Lakota, Sicangu Lakota, but I'm also Omaha, so I represent all of that within my beadwork and my outfit,鈥� said Edwards-King. 鈥淪o your outfit really represents who you are as a person and where you come from, and your medicine from your people. And then you get to come out and share that with these people from different tribes all around the country.鈥�
Edwards-King said that it鈥檚 a common misconception to view inter-tribal powwows as ceremonies. They鈥檙e more like celebrations.
鈥淚t's a celebration of you being able to be here to represent who you are. Because we weren't able to do this. They took this away from us,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o being able to be out here and wear my outfit and represent my family and my people and my tribes with everyone out here that's representing their people and their tribes. It's just an amazing feeling overall, and just, you know, something that's surreal to experience.鈥�
Jody from the Continental Divide in western New Mexico and Shawnae from Covelo, California, who did not want to share their full names, came to feel a sense of community.
鈥淲e came to the powwow to listen to some music, see some dancing, be around other Natives. Get frybread.鈥� said Shawnae. 鈥淛ust to feel good, get some healing, embrace the culture. Have fun, be Native,鈥� added Jody.
Jody said they preferred coming to Nizhoni rather than the larger Gathering of Nations powwow.
鈥淚 don't know about the Gathering, that price to get in, and the parking kind of a lot. It feels good coming here because it's free. It feels more welcoming. It doesn't feel like, 鈥榦h, money,鈥� she said.
鈥淚t feels more like community here than I feel like I would feel over there,鈥� said Shawnae.
While I was interviewing the two women, a little boy was leaving with his parents and he came up to us and gave all three of us a goodbye hug. This interaction is a perfect example of what powwow is all about 鈥� community.
鈥淲e just came to be two aunties today, we had a good time. We had a good time,鈥� said Shawnae.
Support from the coverage comes from the Thornburg Foundation.
