Paul G

CHARLES CITY -- The sounds of drums wandered from a distance. The smell of barbecue wafted through the air. Then traditional American Indian songs began joining the drums, humming across fields. Keith Smith of Suffolk's Nansemond Tribe felt right at home. He began swinging his dance stick with the deer antler on the end. His body moved to the drumming motions. "I dance every chance I get," said Smith, wearing traditional American Indian regalia made out of deer leather with a so-called war dance bustle tied to the back, a ring adorned with feathers.

Smith was one of 4,000 to 5,000 people who joined the 54th annual Chickahominy Pow-Wow in Charles City on Saturday. The powwow will continue from 1 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. today at the Chickahominy Tribal Grounds.

The event is one of the longest-running traditional powwows in Virginia. Since 1951 it's been a staple among Virginia's American Indian events and each year attracts about 20 tribes coming from the East Coast.

The word powwow comes from the Algonquin words "pau wau," which describes medicine men and spiritual leaders. A powwow is the American Indians' way of expressing their cultural heritage, usually through singing and dancing but sometimes through meeting friends and family, eating and chatting. "It's just a social event for people to get together," said Chickahominy tribal member Keith Wynn, who organized this year's event.

It's a spiritual experience for West Point resident Camille Norman.

"We hardly miss one," Norman said.

For Birdie Sours, who presents adult and senior citizen outreach programs on American Indian history and tradition and travels as far as Christopher Newport University in Newport News every year, powwows such as the one in Charles City are a way of raising awareness about Virginia's American Indians.

"People think Indians are just out West," Sours said. "But they are right here in Virginia."

Sours has dark hair, eyes and complexion often associated with American Indians, but Smith's hair, by comparison, is red, and he has a fair complexion with eyes that are almost emerald green.

"Some people think Indians need to look like what you see on TV," said Smith. "Not all Indians look the same."

Smith's tribe, the Nansemond, whose members lived along the Nansemond River when Jamestown was founded in 1607 and became recognized by the state in 1985, is fighting with Suffolk to buy about 100 acres of sacred land in Chuckatuck.

The tribe wants to spend about $5.3 million to reconstruct the historic village of Mattanock Town on the land, where it has been holding its powwows for the past 15 years, and build a cultural center and museum.

"The city is stalling," Smith said. "It's frustrating."

But Saturday, Smith, who is a voting tribal council member and drives every month from his home outside of Richmond to Suffolk for tribal council meetings, left politics behind. The trained computer technician began to wander from one of the 25 or so vendor booths to the other, greeting friends and family.

Then he joined the circle of dancers again, moving with the drumming sound.

"I would be a fishing guide," he said. "But I have bills to pay. I have a house. I drive a van. I don't ride a horse."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/local...news-local-wbg

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