By B.C. Manion
If this year’s event mirrors those of the past, somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 people will gather at Starkey Ranch in Odessa to celebrate Native American culture this coming weekend.
They’ll be gathering for the sixth annual American Indian Pow Wow, presented by Spirit People Intertribal Family Inc.
The event will feature dancing, singing, flute playing and items available for purchase from about two dozen vendors, including art work, bead work, leather crafts, jewelry and dream catchers.
Hot dogs, hamburgers, pulled pork, Indian tacos, ice cream and other foods also will be available for purchase.
The event gives Native Americans a chance to gather with old friends and meet new ones, while others join in to get a glimpse into the Native American way of life.
The idea is to have an event where people can come together and have a good time, said Sue Langlais, treasurer of Spirit People Intertribal Family Inc.
The three-day event includes a ceremonial grand entrance, which is a procession that is led by flag bearers followed by military veterans. They march to the dance circle, where the Native American equivalent to the national anthem will be performed, Langlais said.
After that, the dancers will enter the circle for a performance, she said.
The pow wow provides a venue to help carry on Native American traditions, while sharing them with the broader community, she said.
In addition to the grand entrance, there also will be stories about the Native American way of life, a drawing for a kayak and some good old-fashioned Indian trading.
The way the trading works is, you bring an item you no longer want to the “trade blanket,” Langlais said.
“Say you have a coffee or a tea kettle you no longer want,” she said. You bring the item and put it in the center of the blanket, then people around the blanket offer an item they want to trade for it.
The person trading the item walks around the blanket, looking at items being offered for trade. Once they select an item, the traders shake hands and the deal is concluded.
Often, the people trading items will tell a story about it. “Sometimes they’ll tell wild stories about their items,” she said. It doesn’t have to be true – the idea is to just have fun, she said.
Some people bring items to trade and others just enjoy watching, Langlais said.
Those attending the pow wow are encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blankets to sit on because seating is limited, Langlais said.
She also recommends they wear a big-brimmed hat to keep off the sun.
“You have to make your own shade,” she said.
At a Glance
When: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16, with a grand entrance at 7 p.m.; 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 17, with grand entrances at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.; and from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 18, with a grand entrance at 1 p.m.
Where: Starkey Ranch in Odessa, at the corner of Gunn Highway and SR 54. The Pow Wow entrance is across SR 54 from the flea market. (13139 Gladstone Drive, Odessa, 33556)
Cost: $3 per person, with children under 12 free. Parking is free.
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