NDNQt

I was reading a book about cowboys and rodeos and there was a section about how much cowboys make in a year. That got me thinking - what is the most you have ever heard of a dancer making in a year?? You don't have to give names but it would just be interesting to see how much folks really make!!!!!!!!!!!

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Becky B.

sltate

40,000./year. Hitting every $1000 pow wow for 45 out of 52 weeks, some of them being 1500 and 2000 dollar pow wows. I never made this much, but I know someone who did for a few years straight....of course he didn't have a wife or family when he came back home after two years of hard core pow wow trail.
But it can be done, when you think about winning 500 bucks to 1500 every weekend from April to November and then the winter pow wows and week day pow wow. LOL
That's nothing compared to Rodeo champions though, they can pull in the megabucks, depending on how good they really are.

osage49er

yeah i concur with sltate, now if u have children and a partner as well you can double that amount if all of u hit the pay window including specials.... in a 3 month span (summer) one can make at least 20,000.00 depending on prize money 1000.00- 1500.00-2000.00 a shot? that's if your on a roll and hit the right powwow trail....but then one has to still consider price of gas, rooms, meals, incidentals, etc....get u thru the next big win???then remember your taxed on it at the end of the year? been there done that and continue to do it

chazziff

it is a kinda "iffy" occupation to go into .. lol .. what if you get hurt, the pw doesnt have its money or you dont place at all?

you gotta be on your game everytime all the time.

we used to do that (partner danced and sang) and we used to make like 6 grand a month and that was only summer/spring months - we didnt really like travellin all over the dam country side .. lol. didnt like the lifestyle - sure didnt like makin those phone calls home if the pw didnt have its $$. i like makin that kinda dough on a 9 - 5 ALL year round .. lol

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sltate

Yeah, tough life, short lived, etc.etc. We did that for about 5-6 years. Until our kids got too old and needed to be in school instead of at pow wows. LOL
It's wear and tear on your car, your outfit, your patience, your dancing ability, your physical and emotional strength. But its fun!!! LOL We made good money at it but after awhile it takes the fun out of dancing and dancing becomes a job,not a joy. That happened to me, to the point where I just put my stuff away for awhile because I felt like I had taken advantage of the gift I had been given. I put my things away for awhile, then when I took them back, I had a different outlook and enjoyed dancing again. Now I can dance and love it for the spirit of it, not just the competition and the money. I would not trade those travel times for anything in this world, there is nothing like the feeling you get when it's grand entry time, drums are getting ready for the session, the MC is hollering at you to get ready, you are in a new environment, new country, new friends, etc. etc. So it has its benefits, that aren't just health and retirement benefits but friends and experiences that you will always have.

NDNQt

I agree w/you Chazziff - what happens when you get old and don't have money in social security. I know a lady that had to go to work when she was like in her late 50's at Pizza Hut because that is all her and her husband had done - powwow and do educational shows. And what about when you injure a leg and can't dance anymore??? Then where are you left?

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Becky B.

osage49er

i have danced all of my life but i always had job security and i educated myself one needs to balance these things for that exact reason, some years your hot some years your not, but at least you have something to fall back on. Dancing is a gift and if u abuse it things happen. Remember we need to remember our outfits have a spirit of their own and you need to take care of it, smudge it, etc... treat it well and it'll treat you well......

chazziff

think thats where the problems lies - pow wow ppl - well most hard core pow wow ppl - don't see education as a priority. the mentality of "he/she's only missing a couple of days of school" - but it could add up to a month or two in a school year. then the child(ren) fall behind and most often drop out of school.

i would imagine that there is a very high drop out rates in the teen/adult categories - i know of alot of ppl who haven't finished high school and some drop out of university. some even become young parents who choose to let education fall to the wayside for their own children.

but i do have to give props to pw ppl like kim and arsene tootoosis - their children are getting their educations. and they are all becoming well known on the pow wow trail as well.

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sltate

Yes, this is true in all respects. I know from experience on how you run wear and tear on your body, outfit, family, etc. when you are dancing for a living.
I am now a federal employee for an all native american boarding school in Oklahoma. I am working on my degree in special education, focusing on reading/english. I tell my own kids and the kids I work with that education is imperative to their success. My brother and I grew up in a two parent home with both parents working. So, we had a pretty normal life, our parents pow wowed but only in the summer locally and we traveled one month up north during my dad's vacation time. My parents did not have an education, though my mom went back when she was 60 and obtained her associates degree while working full time and raising my neice and nephew(who were 3 and 1), so it can be done. When I get discouraged I think about her.
Pow Wow money is fast money, and I love to win at dancing like everybody else, but....I have job that allows me to pow wow dance during the summer while still getting paid every two weeks. So, win or lose, my bills are paid, I am getting an education and my kids are seeing how important an education is....its the difference between designating someone to do the work and being the one who gets designated to do the work. LOL

Steady Rollin

All I Know Is One Summer I Pulled In 75 Buckaroonies!

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If the Great Spirit had desired me to be a white man, he would have made me so in the first place. -SITTING BULL

WhoMe

There are many ways to answer this thread.

Many good powwow dancers did not invest in their future. Alot cannot even dance anymore because of the wear and tear to their bodies, that took place while they were "on top!'

But after this weekend I want to recognize two shining examples of being on top of the powwow world and investing in the future - at the same time.

Chico Her Many Horses: He was practically unbeatable "in his prime" in Northern Fancy War Dance. This year he was honored as the outstanding coach of the year in his state!

Phillip Whiteman Jr.: He was an a champion grass dancer and world champion saddle bronc rider at the same time! Today, he is professionally sharing his traditional upbringing through storytelling, lecturing, dance presentations and rodeo school. Visit: PhillipWhitemanJr.com

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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

sltate

To be a coach is a dream for alot of young native american men, but you must have a college education to do this at a public/private school. Hats off to Chico, I know his family and they are very traditional, yet very well educated.
There are so many of our "top" dancers that are holding masters and doctorate degrees. Jody Gillette came to do a workshop at Riverside Indian School, and her credentials were astounding, as with Rusty's. Sometimes you see these dancers and you think that dancing is their whole life, but dancing is the icing on the cake because they have set an example by educating themselves and obtaining employment that allows them to travel and share their education as well as their dancing with the younger generation. Yvette Ewalk obtained her master degree from OU last May, Toni Tsatoke was working on her masters the last time I spoke with her. So, yes..you can make money pow wowing, alot of money as these dancers usually do, but as stated before, their dancing is a gift especially when they have other aspects to share with us.

ndnkidz_5

We had started our kids out dancing, cuz we loved doing the Pow Wow thing, but as the kids got school age, we knew it was better for them to do the rodeo thing. They get more $ and if you are good you can go to a rodeo college or get a scholarship on a good college team. My daughter is a barrel racer, and she wants to go college on a riding scholarship. Plus her horses have taught her a lot, she still like to dance at small local PW's. But I say the rodeo purses are much bigger.....lol

ndnsooner

It would be good to include Ricky White, that sings with Whitefish Bay. He is now middle school principal in the Twin Cities area...

injunboy

i see a correlation between stripping and pw dancing...lol

alot of strippers are edumacated

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thanks dad for showing me the way, teaching me the language, and not leaving my mother...*L*

*original XXL *

jus like McSteamie