Every Memorial Day Weekend, the Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy Earth Band hosts a Pow Wow at Temple University’s Ambler Campus.
The Grand Entry involves all the dancers and also includes the formal posting of the Colors by the Color Guard. You can photograph the Grand Entry and the competition and exhibition dancing, but not the prayers.
This is the Color Guard. In addition to the US Native Flag they carry the POW/MIA Flag and two Tribal Flags.
The Chief, Buffy Redfeather Brown enters the circle after the color guard. Behind her are the principal dancers.
You will see many different styles of dancing, from the stately steps of the Elder Women, to the extremely high energy of the Fancy Dancers
The Women’s Traditional Dancers can wear a variety of styles of clothing.
Here is some more whirling by the Fancy Dancers. I think the youngest was about 8.
The Pow Wow is a big social event in the tribe. Folks that see each other once a year do so at Pow Wow. I’ve been going for most of the 12 years it’s been run, and have a good time every time. It’s also an opportunity for the tribe to teach others about their culture, and to raise money for their Scholarship fund.
I missed out on buffalo burgers this year (they must have sold out over the weekend), but did get my fry bread! There used to be a couple more pow wows in the Philadelphia area, but this is the only one left … Willow Grove Naval Air Station and Fairmount Park have both disappeared.
I tried to go on Saturday, but arrived just in time for a massive rainstorm to break out. Tents and stuff when flying across the field and I ended up getting soaked while helping a vendor whose tent had overturned rescue his wares.