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TUES, 15 OCT 2002

Native American culture comes to UI
By Brian Passey
Assistant News Editor

The Native American tribes of the Inland Northwest are gathering at UI this week for the annual Tutxinmepu Powwow.

With events all week leading up to the powwow Friday and Saturday in the Kibbie Dome, there are many opportunities to learn more about the history of powwows and the significance they play in Native American culture. “Tutxinmepu” is a Nez Perce word for “the place where the deer lost their spots,” referring to the Palouse region, according to a UI press release.

According to powwows.com, the powwows held each year across North America are a way for Native Americans to join in dancing, singing and visiting. It is also a time to renew thought of the old ways and preserve a rich heritage.

UI’s Native American Student Association organizes the Tutxinmepu Powwow as its main event each year. NASA is a student club designed to involve all Native American students on campus, but is not exclusive to Native Americans, NASA President Rachael Parker said.

“The powwow is a big part of our identity and who we are. I think it’s important if people can understand that and respect it,” she said.

Parker, who is from Macy, Neb., and is a member of the Omaha Nation, said NASA’s main goal is to promote diversity and cultural awareness, but the organization also serves as a social environment for things such as study groups. They often cook traditional Native American food at their meetings, including fry bread and Indian tacos.

The Tutxinmepu Powwow, however, is the culminating event of the year for NASA. The powwow at UI is one of the last powwows of the season, with other area schools like Washington State University and Lewis and Clark State College both holding powwows in the spring. North Idaho College held its powwow Friday and Saturday.

This year’s powwow will be held in the Kibbie Dome, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday. Grand entries of the intertribal dancers will be at 7 p.m. Friday and at noon and 7 p.m. Saturday. The Kibbie Dome will be filled with booths selling arts, crafts and food like the traditional fry bread.

The four main area tribes in attendance will be the Coeur d’ Alene, Spokane, Nez Perce and Yakima tribes but will likely include people from many other tribes, Parker said.

“People travel all over to go to powwows, so we might have people from Arizona or New Mexico,” she said. This year’s host drums are Mountain Soul from Hobbema, Alberta and Whitetail from Macy, Neb. Parker said the host drums are the main drums for the weekend and they sing for certain parts, including the Grand Entry. They also judge drum contests and are considered a very important part of the powwow.

Clifford SiJohn, of the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and Otis Halfmoon of the Nez Perce Tribe, will share the Master of Ceremonies title, according to a UI press release. Elaine Miles, a Umatilla native and Northern Exposure actress, is the head woman dancer and C. T. Walks Over Ice, a Montana Crow, is the head man dancer.

According to powwows.com, dances have always been a very important part of the life of Native Americans. “Most of the dances seen at powwows today are social dances which might have had different meanings in earlier days. Although dance styles and content have changed, their meaning and importance has not,” according to the Web site.

“When we dance, it’s a part of who we are. It’s spiritual in a sense,” Parker said.

Because the powwow dances are considered spiritual, there is a certain etiquette to be followed when attending a powwow. Among the rules for powwow etiquette is to refer to the dancers’ clothing as regalia, not costumes, and the regalia should not be touched unless the dancer gives permission.

The regalia worn by the dancers have evolved over time, according to powwows.com. They are evidence that the Native American culture is not a stagnant culture, but a “vibrant and changing way of life.”

Other etiquette rules include asking permission before taking photographs of the dancers or drummers and standing and removing hats during special songs, such as the Grand Entry and flag songs. The master of ceremonies will notify the audience when it is appropriate to take photos or not and when to stand for the certain songs.

In addition to the powwow itself, various events will be held throughout the week. A four-day exhibit and lecture series, sponsored by the UI American Indian Studies Program and the Humanities Seminar entitled “The Art of the Powwow: Creating a Sense of Place through Camera and Brush” will feature photographers and artists and their work. George Flett, a Spokane painter, Lonnie Alexander, a Umatilla photographer and artist, and Ben and Linda Marra, photographic documenters of powwows, are among those featured.

The artists’ works will be exhibited in the Reflections Gallery in the Idaho Commons from Monday through Friday. The artists will present lectures at 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday in the Commons Horizon-Aurora Room and in the Reflections Gallery, also in the Commons.

Parker said NASA has received a good response from the community for the powwow and feels it shows how supportive the community is of the diverse student clubs at UI. In return, Parker said she feels the powwow is good for the community by bringing both revenue and diversity.

Native American Heritage Month is celebrated at UI during the month of November, so the powwow is an appropriate opening for the commemorative month. Parker said events planned for November include a drumming circle, a book review, Native American films and possibly a salmon feed.

The first event, a free screening of the new film “Alcatraz is Not An Island” will take place Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in the SUB Borah Theater. The film is a true story about a group of Native Americans who occupied Alcatraz Island in 1969 and started a movement to retake “Indian land” across the United States, according to a press release from the Office of Multicultural Affairs.