SingingDeer

I'm glad to see that too WhoMe. I don't like having to avoid the vendor booths 'cause I love to see what they have and I like supporting them, but until I have $$ to spend, I have to curb my desire to wander through them. BTW the pow wows I attend regularly are not contest pow wows, but I plan to go to one this month to watch. I'm not a contestant.

CHEROSAGE

I asked this when gas was threatening to go to $3.00/gal. I know, myself, that I thought about which dances we would have to just not go to because of the distance/expence.

We did make it to some dances already, only 1 day dances. I'm glad that gas prices are going down and people don't/won't have to chose which ones they won't be able to go to. I agree that NDN people will go to the dances but they will shrink their area of travel.

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BOB

uw_n8iv

HYBRIDs!!!

I'm driving around this hybrid right now. gas is not a worry. thinking it will make a nice powwow car in the summer....hybrids are the future, ideal powwow ride:)...lol

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WhoMe

uw_,

I'm driving a hybrid myself.

Over the last year I have put in a new engine, transmission, clutch sytem, manifold system so it runs real good. It just looks like HELLL on the outside because it was in a couple of wrecks.


So it's half-Indian Car, half-Whiteman Car.



A true HYBRID!

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

SingingDeer

If I can ever afford a new car... I'm drooling at the hybrids, but by that time maybe something ever better will come along - who knows. I'm just glad that my vehicle gets fairly decent mileage...

... Half-Indian car, Half-Whiteman car ...

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roughface40

Best Mc-adolphus Goombi And Rev. Thomas Roughface

ThndrDude

We put on a pow wow in Michigan. We have to travel three hours to the place we put it on so that it can be near a large group of the people that attend. We will continue to put it on as long as we can. When we cant afford to travel that far someone else will have to do it but it will continue for the people.

Often times we have to kick in several hundred dollars of our own just to put it on. This year we thought we broke even then had an incident but thats another story. We will continue to contribute to put on a pow wow for the people.

tsuj510

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alumphfres

So gas is $2.29 a gallon and yeah, I got a job, a ride that runs and a calendar with at least one powwow per month. But like some dancers, I'm beginning to wonder about the younger generations. Does Northern Traditional mean the same to an 16-24 something or is the powwow just a place to snag? I gotta powwow, even if it means being a spectator. I'd rather dance. Inter-tribal in street clothes sucks.

So back to the question...What's the future of powwows?

WhoMe

Okay...

the future is:

1. Powwows will pop up in new places where they didn't take place before.

2. Big Powwows, Contest Celebrities *L and Top Drums will eventually be replaced with new Big Powwows, Contest Celebrities and Top Drums.

3. Children being born today will eventually take over powwows and run them according to their own powwow experiences (or lack of, as some cases may be).

4. No matter how much powwows change..... SOMEONE will always complain.

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"Today, recognizing and respecting the origins of powwow aids in our Cultural Survival. If enough people break the rules because they are not satisfied...."We will have no culture."

WhoMe

Wohali

Siyo,

Must agree with the previous posting, powwows will change. Been to many many in this life and some were outstanding and some not so much. Depends on the persons attitude and reason for going? Are they a dancer looking for the big payoff, or a family going to dance for the Creator and experience the elders in the circle?

When I dance it matters not to me what or who is in the circle, I dance for the Creator and to commune with the ancient ones. It matters not if wearing the newest, best, fanciest regalia, dance is to commune and to tell a story to others watching of something that has happened in your life.

Our ancestors danced this way and they did not have to worry about gas or vendors or attendances. We must return to our old ways to keep our children in the way of things or they will be lost and Powwows will become just a show.

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crazywolf

Boozhoo niji,

I dont know if its pow wows that are going to change or the people that go to them that are going to change. This is something that I wondered over the summer as I saw gas prices rocket up over $3 a gallon. On the way to the last pow wow last season in Florida, Dade City, Mothers Day, my old Bronco got ill. The rear brakes locked up, because of the bearings and seals in the axle were wore out. Cost to fix was $900 and took all day. I got to the pow wow late Saturday, and got in maybe 3 or 4 songs.

The Bronco was only getting 10 mpg, and filling the tank, per week was costing me $60. That is just to and from work folks, no pow wow money there.

Time to buy a new car, and a new way to go to pow wows. Earlier in January I got a pop up camper. It weighs around 1000 pounds and can be towed by a 4 cylinder car. It sets up in a minute, its an A frame not a canvas side. The car I got is a Subaru Forester. It holds my bustles, drum and tows the camper without complaint. And it gets 24 MPG in doing that. I used to have an old Ford van that I slept in at pow wows, and it got 13 MPG. So right now I am paying almost exactly what I was 10 years ago when I first started pow wowin. And I am sleeping and camping alittle more comfortable too.

I could do the tent thing, have done it in the past, and got sick of the cold, the leaks and the 500 yard dash to the portalet. I still do the latter, need my own portalet I guess. But that doesnt seem so bad when I got a warm bed to return to :)

Yeah so how much is all this costing me? $5500 for the camper, and $15000 for the Subaru. OK, but I work my butt off to make the payments. I also restructured my bills (credit cards and whatnot) and found money I didnt know I had. My monthly payments are not that bad on the camper, and the car became a necesary thing, I drive 20 miles to get to work.

The camper is also handy. Like I said it sets up in a minute, and packs up in about the same time. There are two pow wows down here that I serve in the Head man position, and it takes a lot of time and responsibility. No they do not provide motel rooms, and actually I prefer it not. I like my camper, it saves me a lot of time and is also comfortable.

One other thing that needs to be mentioned. Gas is not going to be the only fuel for long. As I was writing this I saw on the news a man that has figured out a way to make a car run off water. That sounds ultimately cheaper than what we are doing now. So for a while gas prices will climb, pow wow attendence will fall off, and time will go on. A new fuel will be found and the cost of living will eventually catch up, and things will go back to normal. Everything seems to go in cycles doesnt it? Kinda like the whole circle thing.

Derek