REED'S CHAPEL ELEMENTARY'S

Title IX Indian Education Youth Pow-Wow

The Indian youth pow-wow officially had its beginning during the spring of 1985. It was during the AEA Spring Holidays. We chose the spring holidays because we could use the school facilities, the school staff volunteers, and students without conflicting the regular school schedule.

The primary reasons for our youth pow-wow were to help perpetuate our cultural dances among our youth and enhance its dignity and appreciation; to offer an opportunity for our youth to show case their talent in a competitive environment; to entertain the parents, local spectators, and visiting tourists; and for the personal enjoyment of our youth and the excitement for our Indian elders.

When the parent advisory committee started the youth pow-wow in 1985, it had a small number of participants. However, when news began to spread among the different Indian tribes of the Southeast, dancers from many states began to attend the festival. Many of these dancers became annual pow-wow participants. We had dancers from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. The youth pow-wow attracted VIP's such as Miss Indian America from Arizona, Miss Indian World from New Mexico, and Miss Indian Oklahoma from Oklahoma.

The youth pow-wow became a great asset to the tribe's summer pow-wow that takes place on the tribal reservation on the third weekend in June each year. It offered our youth a chance to perfect their talent in the traditional art and crafts of the tribes of the Southeast. Many youths learned the proper protocol, dance team spirit and ethic, as well as their individual skills and talents.

Due to their excellent training and youth pow-wow experience, many youth dancers have had an opportunity to perform in major pow-wow's and other important occasions throughout the United States. It was not unusual for our youth to walk away with more than half of the prizes when our team visited a hosting pow-wow. A major event was when our dancers performed in the Red Earth competition in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Another involved our youth's performance in the 1985 New Orleans Worlds Fair in Louisiana.