Another Excerpt from the Life of an American Family

Every so often when I want to go out for sushi, catch the local international dance festival, or take in the music of my favorite German, Austrian, Italian, or Russian composers, my husband complains that I have something against American culture. Of course, if he goes with me, he ends up enjoying himself anyway. This time, when I suggested another cultural outing, he refused, deciding he’d rather hang out at the game shop and play Yu Gi Oh instead. I didn’t press the matter.

His loss. While he was playing some card game that originated in Japan, we attended a celebration of real American culture.

The pow wow offers a variety of activities. Of course it wouldn’t be the same without the singing, dancing, drumming, arts, crafts, and games anyone can expect. But it also offers a rodeo, softball, a fun run, and even a golf tournament. As we unfortunately only had a couple of hours to spend there, we could not possibly see or do everything.

We then tried to find good seats at the Dance Arbor to catch what I think was the end of the All-Indian Parade. If anyone is unfamiliar enough with pow wows or native culture in general to entertain the notion that this was just a celebration of the Shoshone and Bannock tribes, allow me to dispel that now. People come from far and wide to participate, representing the Coeur d’Alene, Nez Perce, Paiute, Crow, Cheyenne, Blackfoot, Lakota, Dakota, Nakota, Cree, Arapaho, Mohave, and Navaho Nations, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten several.

Being the music and dance enthusiast that I am, I didn’t stray far from the Dance Arbor, and I was rewarded with the privilege of seeing some of the dance competitions. One of the highlights was a dance competition for girls ages three and under. Not only were the girls all adorable, they danced with great gusto. Of course, if I were a toddler in a jingle dress, I’d want to bounce myself silly, too! As it was, I found myself making like a traditional dancer and bobbing to the beat of the drums, wanting to cut loose like a fancy shawl dancer. What regrets I had about leaving my husband at the game store could not possibly mar this kind of fun.