Wow Pow Wow

We didn't go to the park on Friday. I know, big shock. We took a field trip to a powwow. It was fantastic. We went with the families in our co-op group. One of the moms suggested it during our last one and we all said, "Heck, yeah!" It was at one of our huge flea markets that's also an antique mall. We're a little back woods here. And the price was right. The kids were free and I was only $3. The parking was free.

We all met at my church and caravaned out there. I was last in line and got dumped at two lights. I knew where it was at, but the fact that I got separated irated me a little. The first time was at a traffic light that is very quick to change. I knew if I ran it, it wouldn't be pretty. The kids were a little worried. I told them not to worry, because my friend driving the lead car wasn't a very fast driver and I would catch up. I caught them a couple of lights later. They had gotten stopped and I pulled right behind the number two car. The kids thought it was cool. The second time was at the entrance to the flea market. That time was funny. I had to laugh. But they waited for me at the top of the hill at a stop sign, so that was alright, too.

We parked together in the shade of a great, big tree. There were several schools there, but it didn't seem crowded. The center was open field with a ring of bleachers and a roped off area for the Native American dancers. There were several teachers in the middle that were dancing for prizes. That was fun for their students. When that was over they had a couple of exhibition dances. The kids were invited in to the ring after that to do the friendship dance.Everybody links hands and the leader starts dancing. Everyone follows the leader and he weaves them into a tight circle, then back out. It looks almost as if he is following a maze. The kids had done it at the library last summer when we had some Native American dancers. The boy took off and the baby was right behind him.

The last dance was the candy dance. They threw lots of candy on the ground then had the kids dance. They had to dance as long as the drums played. As soon as the drums stopped they could pick up candy. I worried about the baby until the drums stopped. My baby can fight for candy. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen. I almost wet my pants. She pushed and shoved just like the other kids. I think the big kids were so stunned that a sweet faced little girl would do something like that, they just let her have the candy. And do not think that the boy was to be denied. He had friends there that had to be outdone. I love my crazy kids.

We browsed the shops for awhile. I didn't tell the kids that they were going to get something. I waited until much later for that. They had some really great things in those shops. It was very cool to see crafts created by loving hands. They had handmade jewelry, and baskets, and flutes, and clothes and shoes and more. They had some pretty cheesy things, but there was some really incredible pieces as well.

We saw three other homeschool families there. They are normally park goers as well. I knew that since six park families were here, the park was going to be pretty empty. One mom was getting there as we spread out our blankets for lunch and joined us. Another called and asked if we were coming to the park. I told her we were all at the powwow. She headed our way and met us just as we were getting in line to paint the pony.

The kids got to paint a pony. It was done before going hunting or into battle. They got to pick a symbol and paint it on the horse. The boy picked hunt, which was an arrow. The girl picked eternity, which looks sort of like the lash line of an eye with only one lash. They both did a great job.

They did a tepee raising demonstration. It looked really easy. But I have a feeling that if I tried to do it, it would take a lot longer. But the poles go a certain way, then they're raised and turned and he made it look like nothing. It was interesting to hear how they engineered them to be water proof and weather resistant. The technology of today does not even compare to the brain power of Native Americans so long ago.

We did get to see more performances as well. I love to hear the music and see the pride and history and courage and perseverance in the dances. I would really like to take the kids to a really big pow wow. I think we would all have a great time.

We sure had a great time at this one. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the sky was blue. It was a balmy 78 degrees. The big girl ended up with a bit of a sunburn. We put her in a hot shower when we got home from dance class and loaded her down with suburn gel. The heat from the shower helps take the sting out a bit. It hurts like the dickens at first, but after it is so good.

I didn't even think to take my camera, but I did get some pictures on my phone. I can't get them into my computer, but they're on my phone. I have also decided that if we do a field trip to somewhere I don't know, I'm googling the directions in case I get dumped. And sunscreen before hand, because I forgot when we got there. But that's all for now. I'll tell you about our Evangelism walk in the next blog.

Have a great day!