Pow Wow!

After a tragic history of forced relocation and land loss, many tribes began coming together in the mid-20th century for intertribal gatherings, where each tribe's long history of seasonal dances and sacred ceremonies culminated in a new type of gathering: the pow wow. Pow wows have since become major yearly events filled with song, competitions, regalia, reunions, and cultural pride. In 1882, the Ponca split from relatives in Indian Territory, forming two separate tribes, Osni [Ushnee] Cold Ponca in the north and Maste' [Mah-shtay] Warm Ponca in the south, but in 1994 the pow wow brought them together again as a joint campfire burned bright and they were reunited, dancing to the songs of their common ancestors. Today, a large annual pow wow is held on these grounds, and every August hundreds of people, Native and non-Native, gather to honor American Indian heritage and culture—past, present, and future. The night of the Northern Ponca Pow wow in 1994 became an important symbol for a tribe divided and then reunited after more than a century apart on the very land they were driven from.

Nebraska · United States