Creve Cour

We had a fine time singing at the Creve Cour rendesvous saturday.
A group of scouts had asked if they could join us, which was fine. We really didn't know what to expect, though. They turned out to be a great group. They had a number of dancers in regalia, boys and girls, and they had obviously spent some time and effort on their clothes. They seemed to be working on their dancing, too.
They brought two drums, and set one up to sing a few songs. They only knew a handful of songs, but they really tried hard on the ones they knew.
They've got a ways to go, but I think they could be a fine group. Maybe they could take some of the things we do now in the future.
The people running the rendesvous told us they might try to have a small powwow along with it. It could work, look at Chillicothe.
I might try to go to the Taylorville powwow this weekend, I just wish it was closer.
If anyone has tapes or CDs of Brule or Joanne Shenandoah, Ellen would like to copy them to play for the lady prisoners.
We will be back to friday practices next week, see you there.

busy time

It's a fairly busy time for us right now. We had two nursing home performances last week, tuesday at Toulon and friday at Farmington. This saturday we will be at Creve Cour rendesvous, from around noon to four or so. Depending on how it goes, we may or may not go back on sunday (right now the weather channel is talking about rain sunday, anyway).
The next weekend is both the Taylorville and Kickapoo powwow, then the week after is the Pimitoui powwow. First nothing for months, then too much!
Because of the Creve Cour performance, we will not be having practice friday, but we probably will the next tuesday.
Also, don't forget the prison training for those who need it on june 9th at 8:00 AM.
The nursing homes went really well, we have a new routine worked out that seems to work fine. It felt great to get my regalia back on, it's been so long I wasn't sure I remembered how to put it on!
If anyone went to the Starved Rock powwow, I'd love a report on it.

nursing home week

We have two nursing home performances this week, tuesday at 7:00 P.M. at the Toulon nursing home, and friday at 7:00 P.M. at the Farmington Country Manor. We haven't done any nursing homes for a while, I'm not sure why.
We also have the Creve Cour rendesvous saturday around noon, till 4:00 or 5:00.
There are some powwows coming up, Starved Rock this weekend, May 19 and 20.
Leroy and Taylorville are both the first weekend in June (these people need to talk to each other), and of course Return to Pimitoui the second weekend in June.
The place I go to in Colorado, Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, is starting an exciting program. They want to become the foremost place in the nation where archaeologists and native people come together to share and learn, bridging what has often been a wide, sometimes bitter gap. One of their first initiatives is a series of programs for native youth, especially pueblo, navajo, and ute, coordinated with native teachers, to learn about their own past. This whole idea is very exciting to me, I think there is no reason archaeologists and native groups have to be at odds.
I'll probably say more later when I know more.

another lost powwow

In case you haven't heard, the Mother's Day powwow has been canceled. Butch just couldn't get enough help. Instead there's going to be a potluck sunday, and informal dancing in the afternoon.
We need to pitch in and help, not just Butch but everything at seven circles, or soon there won't be any seven circles, or local powwows. Jerry, Ellen, Joe, and the rest agree that the Inali Dancers are going to help out somehow, although we're not sure how yet. If anyone has any ideas, let us know. It would be terrible if the only powwows to go to were many hours drive away.