A Portal To The Past

How can we even begin to describe the emotions and enlightenment which washed over us in Taos, New Mexico today? Let’s start at the beginning. We had planned a stop off at Santa Fe on our way home from California, but what we didn’t plan for was that the Taos Pueblo Indians would be hosting their 26th Annual Pow-Wow during that exact weekend! If we had to relate this event in familiar terms it would be like the Houston Livestock Show (just the performances part), combined with the typical Church Bizarre, and a County Fair thrown in for good measure! The key difference being that this is a DEEPLY spiritual and meaningful event at an emotional level for the native Americans who are hosting and participating in the event. This is not just a party and a place to buy fried food. In fact, alcohol is strictly prohibited, photographs and videos are discouraged, and a camera fee applies if you choose to attempt to photograph the event. They ask that you always get permission from any native american before you photograph or video them, and there are certain dances that are forbidden from being filmed. We always tried to maintain the requested level of respect for the “indians” (as they call themselves) and asked their permission for any filming you see on this web site. However, there were some circumstances where requesting permission of the subject was not feasible and you may notice in the video as the warriors are marching into the arena that one of them tries to object to our camera. Please understand that we meant no disrespect to the native peoples of this country by filming and posting this footage on our web page. We mean only to promote a deeper understanding of their customs and traditions and it is our sincere hope that everyone who views this blog will leave this page with a heartfelt appreciation for the plight and spirit of our land’s native citizens! We must begin with a disclaimer that we didn’t understand even HALF of the meaning behind most of what we saw, but we will try our best to relate what we were told about the ceremonies and celebrations that we were witness to.

For starters, a “Pow-Wow” is a gathering of North America’s Native People. It has many different forms, but the one we witnessed was a HUGE celebration of religious significance that was hosted by the local Taos Pueblo tribe, but included tribes from all over the American West. There were Comanche, Apache, Pueblo, and many other nations present at the event, and not only that, there were tribes from remote areas of New Mexico and regions all over the American Southwest present as well. Many tribes had travelled many days/hours to participate in the pow-wow, which is an honorable inter-tribal event that means a LOT to native peoples of this land. Do not be fooled by the footage you see. There are vendors and funnel-cake booths, etc. But this is no carnival. Many native Americans show up in regular modern street clothes, sure, and there are Masters of Ceremony and Arena coordinators who must walk around with microphones and clipboards to manage and coordinate this event, but do not let the modern trappings distract you. They do not take this celebration or the minutia of managing it’s details lightly. It has historical and cultural significance to everyone of native blood and they are masters at setting the proper mood and explaining the details to all the non-native visitors who are present to respectfully witness the event.

The event started off with a Drum Roll Call and Gourd Dancing. These are traditional Native American events where each step and drum beat is choreographed based on tribal law and cultural significance. According to the MC, these two dances (which you can witness on our video) were traditionally hosted only by the men/warriors of the tribe. There would be a “drum” group in the center of the arena who would set the cadence for the dance and men of the tribe would dance in accordance with the beat around the drum while shaking their gourds to the beat. Women were only allowed to stand along the rim of the circle with their ceremonial blankets draped over their shoulders. They could sing and dance from this vantage point, but not be part of the dance itself. In more modern times, certain tribes have begun to allow women to sit inside the inner “drum” circle and participate in other ways in the dance. Since this Taos Pow-Wow was an Inter-Tribal event, they tried to respect all customs of the various tribes present.

After the morning dances completed, it was time for the invocation and “Grand Entry”. For those of you Czech’s out there, this is much like the Grand March. This was when we learned so much about the event we were experiencing and it’s meaning. At this time, the MC described to all the spectators present that the “arena” where this event was taking place was actually a circle that had one opening in it, which always faced East in respect to the rising Sun. The circle itself was a tribute to the Sun, and the Eastward opening was yet another way to acknowledge that the Sun is the giver of life on Earth. Just as the Native American people always built their wigwams with the openings facing East, this arena was built likewise. We also learned that around this circle were poised drum troupes from 12 tribes/nations from around the country. During a pow-wow, the drum groups will take turns in clockwise fashion at leading the beat of the dances. This beat is referred to as “Mother Earth’s Heartbeat” by the MC. It is a great honor to earn a spot on your tribe’s drum group and a drum group usually consists of 6-10 people drumming a large war drum in unison during the various songs or “pieces” that are played throughout the event. As they play the drum, the drum group also leads the song with their traditional high-pitched warblings that most non-native Americans have come to associate with the native people’s songs. These songs are beautiful to witness in person and flow seamlessly as the dancers also throw in war cries from time to time to really raise the mood of the dance. At no point did this event ever seem even slightly contrived or like a stage performance. These people were deeply moved by their actions and sounds and the meaning of which, while escaping the casual observer, was written all over their faces. We felt so honored to see this window into centuries past, and to have the opportunity to be welcomed into the circle. Every feather, every step, every note, every movement beckoned the spirits of war chiefs, elders, and forefathers from bygone eras of this land’s colored history. Those of us fortunate enough to sit around the circle and participate in the event were in awe of the American Spirit we witnessed this day. It was not the “Captain of Industry”, “Pioneer”, or “Entrepreneur” spirit that we modern “non-native” Americans are used to hearing about today. It was a deeper, more visceral spirit. One connected to earth, water, and those around you....regardless of skin color. As the MC explained, the native people of this land always considered themselves to be stewards of the many gifts their Creator and Mother Earth gave them. They did not own the land nor command dominance over the elements, rather they lived in harmony with those natural surroundings and gave thanks for their blessings. And the Pow-Wow was their greatest celebration of thanksgiving for life, health, and the gifts that their Creator had loaned to them.

Probably the most moving moment of the Pow-Wow was the opening prayer. Hosted by one of the most respected elders of the Pueblo people, the prayer was an articulate and ornate painting of the world viewed from a grateful heart. This respected leader of the Pueblo Tribe started his prayer with an apology that told more about his people and their culture then anything else he said during his prayer. He opened by saying something to this effect (paraphrased) “First of all, I apologize to those visiting royalty and more elder then me. You have seen and experienced more then I and you could teach me many things. I have been chosen to speak before you at this pow-wow, but I acknowledge your wisdom and beg your pardon for taking your honored place in this moment.” The man speaking these words was at least 75 years old and was also a college educated outspoken advocate for the native American people throughout the US and had every credential one could imagine needing to say an opening prayer for an event of this nature, but he humbled himself in respect of those more elder and wise then him who were in his presence. We used that moment to talk to our kids about the importance of respecting the family unit and learning from your parents and grandparents. I know, we coulda made fun with it, but the kids even appreciated the seriousness of the gesture. The prayer then continued to eloquently detail how every smell, sight, sound, and all our senses in fact were blessings granted to us by our Creator. And that native and non-native people all come together to worship the Lord God in this moment and thank Him for our health, family, love, and our every breath. The man also prayed for all of our troops overseas fighting in wars for this great nation. Wiping a tear from my eye, I realized the irony of these loving people embracing and fighting for a “nation” that was forced on them by white-faced invaders at gunpoint. Not only that, they have embraced our faith, which was also forced upon them at sword-point. If you noticed on our photo album, there are pictures of two churches. A very pretty brown and white adobe one, and the charred remains of another surrounded by a cemetery and crosses. The ruins of the church seen in the cemetery was built in 1609 when the Pope first sent priests and warriors to America to “civilize” the “savages” found in this land. These are quotes from the Pueblo’s own tourist brochure. When the priests first invaded the modern day New Mexico territory, they enslaved the native Pueblo people and forced them to become Catholic or face death. That is when the priests used their new slave labor to build the church that now stands in ruin. In 1675, the native people rose up against their captors and overthrew the white invaders and enjoyed their freedom again for several decades until the Pope ordered a “re-conquest” of the area and they fell captive to the church again. This time the Spanish-Catholic invaders found out who had been the leaders of the previous rebellion and hung the tribal leaders in the town square then attacked the pueblo trapping many of the citizens inside the church. During the onslaught, the church was burned and destroyed and many of the indian people killed inside it. That is why the church ruins are now a cemetery. The Spaniards demanded a new Catholic church be built by the slaves and that is the newer one you see in our album. Later in the 1700’s the United States Army rolled through the area and murdered and enslaved the peaceful Pueblo people yet again!

After hearing their horrible story of strife with white people and foreigners, it’s even more amazing to note that many Pueblo Indians from this area fought in WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, and now in Afghanistan/Iraq. They are now proud Americans and Christians despite their rocky history with both entities. Amazing story of forgiveness! In fact, the Pueblo soldiers who fought and died in WWI were not even acknowledged by the US as citizens, and it wasn’t even until more native Americans fought in WWII that they were even given the right to vote in the US. Pitiful! We could learn a lot from these people.

Anyway, the opening prayer was very moving and inspirational and showed how the native Americans of this land have forgiven our white ancestors for their actions and still embrace a life of peace and harmony to this day.

We also wanted to point out that in the video, you can see women walking along a line of men and shaking their hands. This is the way the pow-wow respects different tribal rules regarding pow-wows. Only certain tribes allow women to be inside the arena to participate in the dances, so during the Gourd Dance, you’ll see that some women of a certain tribe enter the arena, but they first go to all the men and ask their permission and/or at least acknowledge them. Also, you may notice that many of the decorated dancers in the latter parts of the video have numbers tagged to their costumes. This is because the pow-wow is also a dance competition and each tribe has sent a dance troupe to the event in hopes of winning the title and prize money the event offers.

We hope this blog helps explain why we were so moved by the dance and ceremony we witnessed today. Enjoy the video.