American Indian Powwow

I’m just checking for Blind Spots in my faith. I do believe we are called as Christians to check for those every so often.

I’ve seen the history channel presentations about the dances,tribes what not. I was raised near the Oglala/Lakota Sioux reservations that are in South Dakota . In my youth I intermingled with the Sioux kids from the reservation over the years but really these kids didn’t have much of their culture to really share. I can’t say as that I’d blame them all they knew is the living conditions of that reservation. so I’m intrigued more than anything. I’m also an American History nerd

She may have " been white"..but you may not have known her heritage..and maybe that preacher did.. IMO.

hmm
well, if its a public entertainment you are not performing in it so it must be open to anyone who wants to watch.
If they are saying prayers in their native langauge and you are not sure what they are saying just pray in tongues while you are there.

In my school we have Maori kids and teachers often have huis even use my library to hold them. Its fine. A hui is a meeting. There are certain protocols they follow, in their langauge just like meetings follow protocol in english.

eg meet and greet, everyone hongis (touches noses) instead of shaking hands
someone might karanga (call people to come)
Karakia (prayer)
pepeha (say where they are from, what tribe, etc)
waiata (sing a song)
koha (donation...like we do honoraiums to the speaker)
kapa haka (perfomance,,,this. might even take up much of the meeting! espeically if large number of guests are invited)
korero (discussion)
tekoteko (speaking stick..just like our microphones)

I heard many americans celebrate tHanksgiving, which is native american tradtiion of hospitality so, not sure why they would be reluctanct to attend a powwow.

She was my x wife. I knew her heritage. lol

in maori hui, its always men leading and women following, women are allowed to speak but must wait their turn, just like in other cultures. There is a certain order to it.

I would say the rudest thing would be to show up expecting things to be exactly like it is in your own culture.

If you dont know how to dance or are not invited to dance....please refrain lol

You dont show up the performances. I think thats all. Presumably you wont dressed up.
oh and clapping, well, if it IS a performance, you can clap, to show appreciation but thats actually more a western thing.

There may be an mc who tells guest what goes on. ANd a translator. Otherwise, enjoy being out of your comfort zone...I know many christians who are so afraid of reaching out to people just cos they dont know the langauge. The least you can do is be willing to make contact.

Sorry for your loss..May she RIP✨

That’s yet another thing that intrigues me is their native language. Much of it has been lost the last 100 years. Only very few speak their native language or know how to even read it. It’s no longer taught to them so it’s probably almost like Latin or Ancient Greek stuff. Lost culture and mostly vanished language save for the eldest of the tribal members.

well, at least there are a few place names as reminders of the rich and varied langauges of the first peoples, and they havent been wiped out.
what happened in nz, where the native maori people were the first inhabitants was, they could see their langauge was going to die out if they didnt teach their children, so the elders, grandparents set up Kohanga Reo, which is language nests, to teach their children from birth. Now these children have grown up and they are speaking fluent maori. Just in the past years, publishers are now publishing books translated into Maori, because the number of adult books available you could count on one hand.
And the Bible is being translated again into Maori too. This is a project that also has audio and hasnt been completed yet.

there was a time when they sent their children to schools that the teaching was only in english to learn the english ways, and even forbade their children to speak Maori. I think this was just for pragmatic, economic reasons. English is a motley language and absorbs other languages, but its the most widely spoken, save for chinese, which has more speakers but is less widespread and not that easy to learn to read and write.

If you want to make a difference I would support full Bible translation or at least audio into native american languages. It shouldnt have to be that everyone needs to learn english first to hear Gods word.

Haven't read Readers Digest in years, sorry to hear they have turned. They used to be family oriented. And yes, I too have seen enough Medicare Ads and Consumer Cellular Ads to last a lifetime!