The Land, The People, and the 2024 Andersontown Powwow

​The 20th annual Andersonstown Powwow was held on September 6-7, 2024, in Alexandria Indiana. Powwows are common now. They range in length and size, but they can be found almost every weekend somewhere in the United States. That was not always the case. In the mid-1900s Indian dance was regulated so that it occurred far less. This was one of many attempts of diluting Native Culture.
 
The Andersonstown Powwow flooded the senses. As soon as you parked your car and began to walk to the powwow you heard drums beating, you smelled bison grilling, you saw bright colored fabrics. The excitement grew as you got closer to the entrance.
 
I arrived at lunch time. So, I had choices, bison chili, frybread, Indian tacos, or bison burgers. All around me were booths with people selling their arts and crafts. Representatives of Mounds State Park provided demonstrations. They demonstrated how prehistoric hunting tools such as the Atlatl were used, around the world, and in this part of Turtle Island. They also demonstrated how grass and plant braiding was versatile for indigenous peoples.
 
There were historical interpreters. Cathi and I were docents at the Chicago Historical Society. So historical interpretation demands my attention. It is a way of getting the audience to think, wonder, and ask questions. It is not just facts; it is bringing the past to life. There were interpreters of Settler and Native culture and history. Watching them I learned about the Great Squirrel Stampede of 1822. How is it that I have never heard of that?

There was a flute concert and flute classes. There was intertribal dance. I especially enjoyed watching World Champion Hoop Dancer Patrick Willie.
 
The first video covers the overall powwow. Both videos demonstrate in multiple ways how the Indigenous People of the area we now know as Central Indiana lived in harmony with the land. This was a place of forests, wetlands, bison, elk, and yes, squirrels. When the settlers removed the trees and drained the wetlands for farming, villages, and industry, they also lost the balance of life that had been part of the history of the land. We were not living in “that good way.”
 
The second video focuses on cultural and historical interpreter Jim Sawgrass. He is a member of the Muscogee Creek of Florida. He teaches/demonstrates, in Florida, Georgia and Alabama. He has been on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and the Travel Channel. He brought with him artifacts that highlighted life in the Southeast of Turtle Island before the colonizers and after the Contact. I only show the first half of his talk. I want people to see what a gifted teacher he is but I also do not want to give away his entire demonstration. He did give permission for me to video his presentation.
 
The Andersonstown Powwow group are already making plans for 2025. I hope to see you there. Bring the kids and eat, dance, and learn about the land and the peoples of central Indiana.

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