19th Annual Pow Wow

Today was the first day of the two-day 19th Annual University of Iowa Pow Wow. Andrew, Livie, and I went, and we had a great time. (We went last year, too. You can read that report here, including some photos and short video clips.)

We'd gotten to the university's Recreation Center just before noon after a 40 minute drive, (hit the rest rooms), and Livie and I set out to get something to eat.

She'd been talking and talking about fry bread, something typically found at pow wows and Native American gatherings. It's very much like a sopaipilla (which you may be familiar with if you've ever eaten in the Southwest).

She'd gotten just the plain fry bread. And I got the "Indian" taco, which is fry bread topped with taco stuff (ground beef, grated cheese, lettuce, tomatoes). We were both so hungry that I completely forgot to take a photo. As a matter of fact, I hadn't realized until just this moment that I never even thought to get a photo!

Anyway, around 1:15 PM, they had the drummer role call - each group of drummers played their drums for a short while. Then they had the "Grand Entrance," which is when all the participants line up in their regalia and dance into the center dance area, accompanied by the drummers and singers who do their thing. The vibrations from the drums are an incredible feeling, which you can feel going through your body to a mesmerizing beat!

They'd had a couple opening songs (about victory and also one honoring veterans) and then they started the dances (with numerous categories for type of dance, age, and so forth (specifics like, girls', boys', men's, women's).

Okay, so I'd wanted to take a lot of photos, but with the way seating was set up around the dance area, as well as how the vendors' booths were, it was hard for me to get a clear shot, so I didn't get too many. But I did get a few using both my new iphone and my trusty little digital camera.

Here are a few of the photos I captured today. Okay, keep in mind, they were taken with either a Canon PowerShot or iphone, in less than adequate lighting. So some of them came out grainy. And some, which I tried to fix, didn't come out how I'd wanted. Others, I used Picnik (for one of the last times) and its special effects.

A dancer is ready and waiting for the start. 

Herky the Hawkeye, the University of Iowa's mascot.

 

Ladies in motion.

Dancers are waiting.

Regalia details on a waiting dancer. 

A young man, mid-dance (and a judge looking on).

More dancing.