The Modern Pow Wow Discovery Essay

The Modern Pow Wow:

Spirituality and Culture for Contemporary Native Americans

  

Christopher Grapes

Intermediate Expository Composition 201

Leslie Jewkes

Abstract

            In the short story "War Dances", author Alexie Sherman demonstrates a Native American character's disbelief and incredulity at the prospect of using blessings and prayer towards his father's health. In this, Sherman demonstrates a stereotype of the Native American as one who has abandoned and rejected his cultural history and identity. Statistically, however, this is far from the case. Studies have demonstrated that Native Americans feel a strong identity with their cultural history, and participate readily in practices such as Pow Wows and Sweat Lodges to further link themselves to their ancestry, finding temporary respite from a Western society that potentially threatens to overwhelm their own heritage.

"I am here, I am White Shell Woman, I am here. Now on the top of Gobernador Knob, I am here. In the center of my white shell hogan I am here. Right on the white shell spread I am here. Right on the fabric spread I am here. Right at the end of the rainbow I am here." - 12 Word Song of the Blessingway (Nagy 91)

            A young Navajo girl reaching maturity and passing into adulthood is marked by a Blessingway ceremony, consisting of songs and prayers of peace, prosperity and healing. The young girl is symbolically transformed into the Changing Woman, a deity responsible for creation and fertility. The ceremony is two-fold - firstly, it celebrates the passing from childhood to adulthood, much like the Jewish ritual of Bar Mitzvah. But secondly, it also demonstrates Native American spirituality and its deep connection with healing and medicine - The Blessingway is considered to be part of the reproductive cycle, effectively blessing the womb to strengthen the immune system for future pregnancies (Schwarz 99). The Blessingway, along with other spiritual ceremonies, are still performed today, showing that spirituality is still intrinsic to the Native American culture, and not an outdated concept viewed as a cultural anachronism.

            As the Blessingway shows, healing and spirituality are closely linked within Native American culture. Hodge and Limb argue that, within Native American culture, "spirituality is commonly viewed as essential to the promotion of health and wellness"(213). In essence, Native American medicine does not separate the healing of body and soul. It is perhaps hard to understand this culture from a Western perspective. Indeed, some may suggest that the Native American view of medicine may be mostly incompatible with Western approaches (Rybak, Decker-Fitts 334), however efforts have been made to amalgamate the two different healing philosophies, especially in the case of psychological counseling. It has been suggested that prospective counselors should surround themselves with a collective group of Native Americans, specifically building relationships with spiritual leaders, to create a cross-culture understanding, rather than attempting to impress Western ideals onto a group with its own distinct view of spirituality and healing (Rybak, Decker-Fitts 340). This issue of cultivating an amalgamated healing practice is further compounded, however, by differing customs and rituals from tribe to tribe.

            In spite of the differences between tribes, two cultural activities remain significant for nearly all Native Americans; the Sweat Lodge and the Pow Wow. Sweat Lodges are, effectively, spiritual saunas, where the act of sweating cleanses the body. As Native American healing views the body, mind and spirit as one gestalt construct, the physical cleansing also cleanses the soul, purifying the spirit of bad omens, curses or otherwise ill-effects. Sweat Lodges are often used at the beginning of other spiritual ceremonies, in order to remove the influences of tainted spirits from celebratory prayers and blessings. The Pow Wow, originally referring solely to the medicine men and healers of the tribes, is now a broad ceremony where both Native American and white Westerners gather together to sing and dance. The Pow Wow is, in many ways, a ceremony specifically to celebrate Native American culture and spirituality. Ironically, the ceremony itself was saved by Western culture - when one of the first modern Pow Wows was arranged in 1887, Western authorities sought to ban the ceremony, claiming the ritual to be savage and pagan. Yet, the public appetite for Native American culture, spurred by the rise of the Buffalo Bill Wild West Shows, had increased, and the ceremony was spared (Cleveland-Peck).

            This public increase for Native American culture could be considered quite surprising. The public consensus, spurred on by the press, was that Native Americans were primitive warmongers, and that they either needed to be contained or exterminated. This eventually culminated in the infamous Massacre at Wounded Knee, where cultural differences led the 7th US Cavalry to gun down 150 men, women and children of the Sioux nation in 1890. The attitude of the press at the time is highlighted by an editorial by the newspaper The Argus-Leader, following an article decrying the massacre as brutal, which stated that the paper "recognizes the lazy, filthy, immoral and brutal habits of the Sioux", further suggesting that their extinction would be beneficial to Western civilization (Hines 34). Josephy even indicates that, perhaps, the Native American culture is still under threat by modern government.

 The goal of ultimate assimilation is still the taproot of government policy, supported by general American opinion. Indian uniqueness [is] still disturbing to White populations. but there no longer exists a safe place of exile for whites to remove the Indians(81).

Others even further suggest that the cultural identity itself is being transformed, that the Native American view of a homogenous self, that psychology, spirituality and physicality are all part of the same collective whole, is being changed, and that "in almost all ethnic minority or non-Western cultural groups, these changes have resulted in the concomitant adoption of the psychology of the West"("Collectivism and Individualism" 545).

            Of course, these have mostly been due to Western influences on Native Americans living in tight communities on reservations. But what of those living within the broader Western culture? Surely they would have much lower levels of cultural identity and participation? Perhaps surprisingly, this is not the case. The importance of cultural identity within non-reservation Native Americans has been revealed to be demonstrably higher. In a 2011 study by Unger et al, the amount of urban youths seeking out cultural activities were dramatically higher than those on reservations - over 30% of urban youths, compared to merely 8% of reservation youths (Unger et al, 346). These cultural events and ceremonies (among them, Pow Wows and Sweat Lodges) are considered a form of therapy for these youths, allowing them to escape Western culture and embrace their ancestry, connecting on a base level that is seemingly absent from reservation based Native Americans. Janet King argues:

For the duration of the event Native values are the norm. This provides some respite from a world [...] where mainstream linear values are the norm—the opposite of Native American relational values. [...] Being immersed in systems with values opposite from your own can be invalidating and detrimental to identity formation(300).

This idea of cultural alienation is one that has roots in the foundation of Western America, where white settlers made significant efforts to diminish and exclude Native American culture. They found themselves caught between two difficult choices - exile or assimilation. Those who chose exile found a life of hardship, famine and death. Those who assimilated into Christian and Western culture effectively lost their own identity. Cultural practices by Native Americans were often outlawed, under threat of imprisonment or even death. The main targets for this "were often times healers who conducted ceremonies to restore health and promote well-being"(King 297). Some have claimed that the resurgence in spirituality, in community pride, represents an historical resentment of these past attempts to assimilate the cultures of Native American tribes into the expanding Western ideals.

Within the short span of [1965-1985], [Native Americans] have regained a pride in their identity as Native Americans and as members of tribal groups. [...] Strengthened by their own revitalized cultural heritages [Native Americans] have turned against both government paternalism and injustices perpetrated by their fellow Americans (Josephy xiii).

            Prior to this resurgence, however, tribal communities did still retain some intrinsic spirituality. In the mid 1950s, Uranium mining helped the economy of a Navajo tribal community. When the tribe shaman expressed concerns over the spiritual damage to the mountains, saying he "had heard the disturbed voices of the Ye-ei, the souls of the mountains, who were angered because the miners had disturbed the dwellings of the Talking God and his brother, the Calling God" ("Propiation"), work immediately ceased, despite threatening the fragile economy of the poverty-stricken tribe, until a blessing ceremony had taken place to placate the angered gods.

            Though Native Americans cannot escape the impact that the Western world has impressed upon their culture, ultimately meaning their culture and spirituality are arguably not necessarily the exact same ideas that their forbearers experienced, they remain enough to create a unique cultural identity, resistant to complete assimilation into Western society. Indeed, it is expected that, though biologically their ancestry may become diluted through bi-cultural relationships and non-reservation population growth, their cultural identity and attachment to their spirituality remains strong, despite influences and obstacles from the co-existence with Western culture ("Collectivism and Individualism" 558). Thus, the spirituality of Native Americans, far from the modern day perception of an outdated and anachronistic relic, is still very much relevant to anyone of Native American descent (whether wholly or partially), who remains proud and attached to their culture and heritage.

Works Cited

Cleveland-Peck, Patricia. "Toronto's Pow Wow." History Today 57.12 (2007): 5-6. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.

" Collectivism And Individualism." Journal Of Comparative Family Studies 42.4 (2011): 543-562. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Oct. 2012.

Hines, Randy. "Pressing The Issue At Wounded Knee." Wild West 23.4 (2010): 28-36. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Oct. 2012.

Hodge, David R., and Gordon E. Limb. "Spiritual Assessment And Native Americans: Establishing The Social Validity Of A Complementary Set Of Assessment Tools." Social Work 56.3 (2011): 213-223. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Sept. 2012.

Jennifer Unger, et al. "The Relevance Of Cultural Activities In Ethnic Identity Among California Native American Youth." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 43.4 (2011): 343-348. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Oct. 2012.

Josephy, Alvin M.. Now That the Buffalo's Gone: A Study of Today's American Indians. New York: Knopf :, 1982. Print.

King, Janet. "Reclaiming Our Roots: Accomplishments And Challenges." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 43.4 (2011): 297-301. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2012.

Nagy, Gregory. Poetry as Performance: Homer and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print.

"Propitiation." Time 61.14 (1953): 33. Academic Search Complete. Web 29 Sept. 2012.

Rybak, Christopher, and Amanda Decker-Fitts. "Understanding Native American Healing Practices." Counselling Psychology Quarterly 22.3 (2009): 333-342. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 Oct. 2012.

Schwarz, Maureen Trudelle. Molded in the Image of Changing Woman: Navajo Views on the Human Body and Personhood. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997. Print.

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Jennifer Unger, et al. "The Relevance Of Cultural Activities In Ethnic Identity Among California Native American Youth." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 43.4 (2011): 343-348. Academic Search Complete. Web..

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King, Janet. "Reclaiming Our Roots: Accomplishments And Challenges." Journal Of Psychoactive Drugs 43.4 (2011): 297-301. Academic Search Complete. Web.

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Nagy, Gregory. Poetry as Performance: Homer and Beyond. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print.

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Rybak, Christopher, and Amanda Decker-Fitts. "Understanding Native American Healing Practices." Counselling Psychology Quarterly 22.3 (2009): 333-342. Academic Search Complete. Web.

Schwarz, Maureen Trudelle. Molded in the Image of Changing Woman: Navajo Views on the Human Body and Personhood. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997. Print.