‘We are still here': Centuries before colonists, a tribal celebration began in R.I.

Boston Globe

3 days ago

Advertisement
and welcome people from different tribal nations. Tribe members begin with a cleansing ceremony to remove any negative energy before the celebration starts, Foster told the Globe.
'There are different events throughout the US and people are choosing to come here,' Foster said. 'We want to honor them with a song from our host drum. We do a Calumet Dance that is a dance to welcome our guests as well as a form of prayer. ... It's a song for those coming into our lands; it's giving thanks.'
Powwows are also a competition.
The categories include traditional, grass/fancy, and eastern war dances for men, and traditional, fancy, jingle dress, and eastern blanket dances for women. Winners receive up to $300.
Advertisement
Foster said the fancy dance is the most modern dance at powwows, popularized over the last century beginning with
'It was done as a means of entertaining the crowd,' Foster said. 'There are acrobatics involved.'
Grass dance is a Plains Indian-style dance that is slow and rhythmic, according to Foster. 'Men would perform the dance to flatten grass down to form their village.'
According to Foster, the 'biggest thing' about a powwow is reminding the public 'we are still here,' and celebrating Native American history.
'When it comes to powwow there is a huge misconception,' Foster said. 'It's not a ceremony like other stuff we participate in. It's more like a pop culture/hybrid ceremony. There is a ceremony that takes place at powwows beforehand, where we welcome guests that include non-Native American. But most powwows that aren't traditionally run powwow are just competitions. They showcase tribal heritage.'
The Narragansett Pow Wow is more traditional because it highlights tribal heritage, while other powwows are just for competition, Foster said.
'I think the significance is it's a long milestone for the tribe,' he said
of the 350th event this year. 'It shows our culture and history is still alive despite numerous attempts by colonists, British, and later Americans to exterminate or assimilate us in their own culture and their own history. It marks not only a milestone of achievement despite challenges and trepidations, but also to show that despite everything we are still thriving. No matter what we are always going to be here.'
President Joe Biden formally apologized to Native Americans in 2024 for the US government's role in operating Indian boarding schools for 150 years that attempted to assimilate Native children by tearing them away from their families and cleansing their languages and culture, according to the
Advertisement
'The federal government has never formally apologized for what happened until today. I formally apologize,' Biden said. 'It did take place. Darkness erases nothing. Some injustices can't be buried. We must know the good, the bad, the truth. We do not erase history; we learn from history, and we remember.'
From 1819 to 1969, 'the US government operated or paid churches and religious groups to run more than 400 federal Indian boarding schools in 37 states,' according to the Washington Post.
'Those schools weren't even a thing of the past,' Foster said. 'The last one closed in 1998 (in Canada). That's less than 30 years ago. There are family members I don't know because they died in boarding schools in the 1960s. Great uncles and aunts I never got to meet because they died long before I was born.'
This weekend's powwow will be a time to celebrate and honor the past, present, and future of Native American people, Foster said. Some modern enjoyment includes food trucks and craft vendors.
Foster reminds guests to be respectful of dancers by asking permission to take photos and not touching the dancers' clothing.
'I say this a lot at powwow, but it's important not to touch dancers' feathers and regalia,' he said. They have cultural and spiritual value. Some items dancers carry are items they use to pray with. The beadwork can be delicate at times."
Advertisement
Carlos Muñoz can be reached at