Life after powwows - Page 2

**Dancin by the bay** · 12-08-2003, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RisingStar
THANK YOU..FINALLY SOMEONE WHO APPRECIATES THE VALUE OF OUR ELDERS...it is soo important that we know where we come from to see we are going...our elders are our backbone without them we have lost our foundation.We must take care of our people!

I think we all have the respect for our elders and we all take care of them in some way. Times are just so different then when our dad's and mom's danced. But I think the respect for the foundation you talk about is there. I could be wrong but the pow wows I been to I see it. Starting not just in the money aspects but with inviting them to lead our prayers; to bring out the flags or our head staff; to bless the grounds; I've seen food vendors bring them plates of food; drinks; young kids bring over gifts; food; drinks. It's not just money the elders deserve; but human connections. A hand shake; a hug; a smile.:)

:D

ndnmba · 12-08-2003, 11:25 PM

I think people would do well to have balance in their lives. I LOVE pow-wows and would like nothing more than to live on the pow-wow trail, but two kids, responsibilities, and an adversion to not knowing whether I have enough money to eat or not each week motivated me to get my degrees. There are several champion dancers that travel the pow-wow circuit and balance a career. They may not hit every single pow-wow but they are at the big ones. Like WhoMe, I know of a couple of past champions that are now unable to dance and basically live off of their spouses and/or children. They made the choice to travel the pow-wow circuit as their career and are now in an unenviable position, but I wonder if they regret that choice. I've noticed that there is a really positive trend in the pow-wow world of dancers going back to get their degrees or dancers balancing college and pow-wows pretty effectively.

cougarwalker · 12-09-2003, 05:46 PM

we all get old. and for every life an elder has touched or cared for they deserve respect and to live with dignity. only if we pull together as a community will that happen. it seems to me that this aspect has been forgotten by the younger ones and im wondering if they were taught it at all. i could go on all day about this issue! ive seen some really disrespectful things. ill get off the ol' soapbox! cougie

theepowwowchic49 · 12-09-2003, 07:23 PM

well i can say that there are a few older dancers that I know of that do now live with the children and do absolutely nothing.they had traveled that pow wow trail and now no longer can handle all the traveling and the sleeping here and there and living off basically nothing and so they have turned to there familys.i suggest if you are at an age right now say 20's or 30's or even 40's and all you do is pow wow around and nothing else now is a good time to start learning a backup trade unless you got a waelthy family member that aint going to mind supporting you the remainder of your years.why should it be there familys responsibilty that these people didnt think ahead into the future.or did they asssume well once i'm an elder i derserve to be taken care of 100%?

cougarwalker · 12-10-2003, 06:29 AM

all people make mistakes in their lives. do i think a 75 yr. old grandmother or grandfather deserve to be taken care of if they cant do it themselves? you bet i do! say YOU make a few mistakes in your life, pick the wrong husband or the wrong profession and when you get old you just happen to have no way to take care of yourself. should your community turn their backs on you? we are not Creator. it is not our duty to judge people for how they led their lives. Compassion is the word here. we should all try it sometime. cougie

Two-cents1 · 12-10-2003, 12:25 PM

Okay, I don't think this thread was meant to be critical of "elders" who can no longer dance or travel full-time to powwows, and I din't think that it's really talking about that . What I think about when I read this thread are the dancers that are traveling and dancing now that have never worked or worked at any job long enough to establish a good work record, or those that are still fairly young but can't dance any more because they didn't take care of themselves or whatever reason. These people, and there are alot of them, who have relied on powwows their whole lives for their primary source of income. What happens to them when they can no longer rely on powwows because they don't win as much due to age or their body breaking down?

"Year round" powwow people don't realize that by not working, they're not paying into their social security fund, which alot of times is a retired person's primary source of income. GA isn't available in many states, and if the tirbes have a GA program, it isn't very much.

It's my personal opinion, that people who are of working-age and choose to powwow exclusively, are pretty short-sighted and are not thinking of their future, or even their children's futures (if they have kids). My parents have always worked, so I have a good example to look to. I don't have an answer to your question, "Is there life after powwows?" I guess my only answer would be, yes, but the quality of your life after powwows is up to you and you have to lay that groundwork now. Do you want to be eating steak when you're 65 or 70 (if you still have teeth...lol), or do you want to be eating commods??????

cougarwalker · 12-10-2003, 05:24 PM

nicely put two-cents! cougie

WhoMe · 12-10-2003, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Two-cents1
What I think about when I read this thread are the dancers that are traveling and dancing now that have never worked or worked at any job long enough to establish a good work record, or those that are still fairly young but can't dance any more because they didn't take care of themselves or whatever reason. These people, and there are alot of them, who have relied on powwows their whole lives for their primary source of income.

Two-cents:

This is exactly why I posted this thread.

I wanted to open dialogue about "life after powwows."

Powwows can be a good thing. They provide a family atmosphere, a place to make lasting relationships and be around people with like interests.

But as you pointed out, some people do not plan for the future.

Once a life of powwows has ended, for whatever reason, it is my hope that people have another trade or income they can rely on.

I just hope powwow people will plan for the future... that's all.

theepowwowchic49 · 12-10-2003, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by WhoMe
Two-cents:

This is exactly why I posted this thread.

I wanted to open dialogue about "life after powwows."

Powwows can be a good thing. They provide a family atmosphere, a place to make lasting relationships and be around people with like interests.

But as you pointed out, some people do not plan for the future.

Once a life of powwows has ended, for whatever reason, it is my hope that people have another trade or income they can rely on.

I just hope powwow people will plan for the future... that's all.

was trying to get across.i was not talking bout all elders ingeneral i was talking about those certain dancers and singers that make a sole living on pow wowws.
take for example my uncle i love him to death (big ) but here he traveled pw to pw for the past 9 or so years living with friends relatives motels camping you name it he did it.one day he has a mild stroke stays in hosptial for month 1/2 bill paid by government.now he moves in with my cousin his son and disrupts all there living arrangements because he has to sleep in the front room with all his personalbelonging because he had to sell the van in order to get money to pay bills and other expenses.Now he hadnt worked in a real job for what close to 10 years not counting the 3 he was unemployed and did nothing while my aunt was the sole provider until finally she left him.
now my uncle has been living with my cousin and his family (wife, three young kids) for the past year and alomost 8 months! Still not working, not collecting unemployment because he never had a job to colect from, and does not even try to go find a job even a p/t minimum wage job. now he is waiting for a check because he got hit by a truck jay walking and with that money he will finally go put a down pament on a little house. Now the rest of the family is saying Now how do you think you will be making monthly paymentsif you have no job and no incoming income? you know his reply was ?I will place at the pws!

real smart uncle

theepowwowchic49 · 12-10-2003, 08:01 PM

my point is if these die hards are going to pw there lives away they better think of there familys lives two. not just the financial end of it but there mental status. My cousin and his wife have gone days even weeks not talking beacuase he wont stand up to my uncle.all my cosuins wife wants is HER house back tothe way it was.And stop having to put her hard earned wages into his lazy belly.of cours he is to "tired and getting up in his years" as he tells my cousin about not working but when it comes to pw weekend he got his bells on quicker than his false teeth.

robby · 12-11-2003, 01:00 PM

seems like we have lotta kids and they start winning and we just keep on powwowing and the beat goes on

Gah-Gah! · 12-11-2003, 01:07 PM

What?
No, Pow Wow Retirement Funds Program anywhere? :indian1:

cougarwalker · 12-11-2003, 05:54 PM

we definitately should see why b.i.a never thought to set up that program! what a delight it would be to powwow and then sit back and collect a pension. we should have a powwowers union! just for sh!ts and grins!

Destined to be alone · 12-16-2003, 03:05 PM

There is no life after powwows cuz powwows are my life.O U T T I E:Angel2

cougarwalker · 12-17-2003, 06:08 AM

just a thought and i know alot of people are going to go" what the hell is she thinking?" but maybe in order to stop this as a way of income support we should lower the prize money and maybe make it a little money and maybe a nice gift. then maybe we could get back to the basics where the white mans money didnt over shadow the real meaning. hope that doesnt offend but it was just something i wanted to though out there and hopefully the wolves wont shred it!!lol cougiei

theepowwowchic49 · 12-18-2003, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cougarwalker
just a thought and i know alot of people are going to go" what the hell is she thinking?" but maybe in order to stop this as a way of income support we should lower the prize money and maybe make it a little money and maybe a nice gift. then maybe we could get back to the basics where the white mans money didnt over shadow the real meaning. hope that doesnt offend but it was just something i wanted to though out there and hopefully the wolves wont shred it!!lol cougiei

but the main decision makers are the champions cuz they end up winning all the time anywayz I doubt they be willing to give up the bucks.

12-09-2003, 07:23 PM	#24 (permalink)
theepowwowchic49 Senior Dancer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Right off 270 & Main Posts: 522	hum? well i can say that there are a few older dancers that I know of that do now live with the children and do absolutely nothing.they had traveled that pow wow trail and now no longer can handle all the traveling and the sleeping here and there and living off basically nothing and so they have turned to there familys.i suggest if you are at an age right now say 20's or 30's or even 40's and all you do is pow wow around and nothing else now is a good time to start learning a backup trade unless you got a waelthy family member that aint going to mind supporting you the remainder of your years.why should it be there familys responsibilty that these people didnt think ahead into the future.or did they asssume well once i'm an elder i derserve to be taken care of 100%? __________________ Friends dont let friends take home ugly Men. :huddle: :indian1: THE DARKER THE FLESH THEN THE DEEPER THE ROOTS :indian1:

12-10-2003, 08:01 PM	#30 (permalink)
theepowwowchic49 Senior Dancer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Right off 270 & Main Posts: 522	winded my point is if these die hards are going to pw there lives away they better think of there familys lives two. not just the financial end of it but there mental status. My cousin and his wife have gone days even weeks not talking beacuase he wont stand up to my uncle.all my cosuins wife wants is HER house back tothe way it was.And stop having to put her hard earned wages into his lazy belly.of cours he is to "tired and getting up in his years" as he tells my cousin about not working but when it comes to pw weekend he got his bells on quicker than his false teeth. __________________ Friends dont let friends take home ugly Men. :huddle: :indian1: THE DARKER THE FLESH THEN THE DEEPER THE ROOTS :indian1:

12-11-2003, 01:00 PM	#31 (permalink)
robby fancy feather dancer Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: powwow trail Posts: 88	powwow places seems like we have lotta kids and they start winning and we just keep on powwowing and the beat goes on

12-11-2003, 01:07 PM	#32 (permalink)
Gah-Gah! VOTE ME ~ 4 CALI GOVERNER Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: 5 Minute walk from Walmart!! Posts: 660	What? No, Pow Wow Retirement Funds Program anywhere? :indian1: __________________ If there ain't soccer in heaven ~ I ain't going!!

12-08-2003, 11:25 PM	#22 (permalink)
ndnmba Junior Dancer Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 244	I think people would do well to have balance in their lives. I LOVE pow-wows and would like nothing more than to live on the pow-wow trail, but two kids, responsibilities, and an adversion to not knowing whether I have enough money to eat or not each week motivated me to get my degrees. There are several champion dancers that travel the pow-wow circuit and balance a career. They may not hit every single pow-wow but they are at the big ones. Like WhoMe, I know of a couple of past champions that are now unable to dance and basically live off of their spouses and/or children. They made the choice to travel the pow-wow circuit as their career and are now in an unenviable position, but I wonder if they regret that choice. I've noticed that there is a really positive trend in the pow-wow world of dancers going back to get their degrees or dancers balancing college and pow-wows pretty effectively.

12-09-2003, 05:46 PM	#23 (permalink)
cougarwalker Junior Dancer Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 141	we all get old. and for every life an elder has touched or cared for they deserve respect and to live with dignity. only if we pull together as a community will that happen. it seems to me that this aspect has been forgotten by the younger ones and im wondering if they were taught it at all. i could go on all day about this issue! ive seen some really disrespectful things. ill get off the ol' soapbox! cougie

12-10-2003, 06:29 AM	#25 (permalink)
cougarwalker Junior Dancer Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 141	all people make mistakes in their lives. do i think a 75 yr. old grandmother or grandfather deserve to be taken care of if they cant do it themselves? you bet i do! say YOU make a few mistakes in your life, pick the wrong husband or the wrong profession and when you get old you just happen to have no way to take care of yourself. should your community turn their backs on you? we are not Creator. it is not our duty to judge people for how they led their lives. Compassion is the word here. we should all try it sometime. cougie

12-10-2003, 12:25 PM	#26 (permalink)
Two-cents1 Junior Dancer Join Date: May 2001 Location: USA Posts: 105	Okay, I don't think this thread was meant to be critical of "elders" who can no longer dance or travel full-time to powwows, and I din't think that it's really talking about that . What I think about when I read this thread are the dancers that are traveling and dancing now that have never worked or worked at any job long enough to establish a good work record, or those that are still fairly young but can't dance any more because they didn't take care of themselves or whatever reason. These people, and there are alot of them, who have relied on powwows their whole lives for their primary source of income. What happens to them when they can no longer rely on powwows because they don't win as much due to age or their body breaking down? "Year round" powwow people don't realize that by not working, they're not paying into their social security fund, which alot of times is a retired person's primary source of income. GA isn't available in many states, and if the tirbes have a GA program, it isn't very much. It's my personal opinion, that people who are of working-age and choose to powwow exclusively, are pretty short-sighted and are not thinking of their future, or even their children's futures (if they have kids). My parents have always worked, so I have a good example to look to. I don't have an answer to your question, "Is there life after powwows?" I guess my only answer would be, yes, but the quality of your life after powwows is up to you and you have to lay that groundwork now. Do you want to be eating steak when you're 65 or 70 (if you still have teeth...lol), or do you want to be eating commods??????

12-10-2003, 05:24 PM	#27 (permalink)
cougarwalker Junior Dancer Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 141	nicely put two-cents! cougie

12-11-2003, 05:54 PM	#33 (permalink)
cougarwalker Junior Dancer Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 141	we definitately should see why b.i.a never thought to set up that program! what a delight it would be to powwow and then sit back and collect a pension. we should have a powwowers union! just for sh!ts and grins!

12-16-2003, 03:05 PM	#34 (permalink)
Destined to be alone Shadow Lurker Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 153	There is no life after powwows cuz powwows are my life.O U T T I E:Angel2

12-17-2003, 06:08 AM	#35 (permalink)
cougarwalker Junior Dancer Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 141	just a thought and i know alot of people are going to go" what the hell is she thinking?" but maybe in order to stop this as a way of income support we should lower the prize money and maybe make it a little money and maybe a nice gift. then maybe we could get back to the basics where the white mans money didnt over shadow the real meaning. hope that doesnt offend but it was just something i wanted to though out there and hopefully the wolves wont shred it!!lol cougiei

12-18-2003, 01:41 PM	#37 (permalink)
Kakeeya PowWows.com Addicts Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: By a mountain on the Rez Posts: 2,560