The annual Mother's Day Pow wow coming up soon here in Georgia is in it's 23rd year. The promoter, Chipa Wolfe, has sent this Article about it. I would like to share it with everyone, and invite you to come down and see what goes on here.
23rd Annual Cherokee Indian Festival &
Mother's Day PowWow
May 12 & 13th, 2012
Mother’s Day the Native Way
By: Chipa Wolfe
Mother’s Day celebrations have
been around since mothers first appeared as even the Bible recognizes Eve in
bestowing her with the title “Mother of All the Living”. Hindu scripture credits the Great Mother,
Kali Ma, with the invention of writing through alphabets, pictographs and
beautiful sacred images. Ancient
Egyptians believed that Bast was the mother of all cats on Earth, and that cats
were sacred animals.
During the 1600’s, England
celebrated a day called “Mothering Sunday”, which was a time in which many of
the servants that lived with their employers were encouraged to return home to
Honor their Mother. It was customary to
return home with a special cake to celebrate the occasion. Mothering Sunday is a Christian celebration
that is actually celebrated throughout Europe even though this date has been
traditionally called “Mothering Sunday” it is slowly but surely adhering to the
universal call name of, “Mother’s Day”.
In Spain the holiday is directed toward a more religious concept as it
is dedicated through love and affection to Mother Mary.
In the early 1900’s a woman named
Anna Marie Jarvis went on a letter writing campaign to have a day dedicated to
honor our mothers here in the United States. The passing of her own mother
fueled her passion, as she wanted to assure a day of observance in which all
mothers would be remembered. She asked
that white carnations be the official Mother’s Day symbol. President Woodrow Wilson signed the executive
order that proclaimed Mother’s Day a National Holiday.
Native people of the world have
always celebrated Mother’s Day in one form or another as they recognize the
gift of gender, which supports all Life. Women have been recognized as being all-powerful
by even the mightiest of warrior as they have a systematic cycle of biological
balance and necessity. American Indian
women have been known to be the “Nation’s Life Source” as they are the
significant tribe spinsters of the human web in which we are attached.
Children are nurtured into
adulthood through the guidance of the Mother as well as uncles, aunts,
brothers, sisters, and fathers. The
mother is the safe guard to a child’s well being and her many stories are
delivered in a manner that teaches them a lifetime of do’s and don’ts. Mother Goose is a good example of such stories
as is Peter Rabbit, etc. and where they may not be of American Indian origin,
think about the adoptive song “Rock a Bye Baby” as the wind blows in the
treetops. It was the cradleboard with
baby that swayed from the branch while mother lent herself to daily chores
while chanting a favored song.
Native America has been misconstrued
by many to being pagan-istic because of their conceptual ideas regarding their
relationship with the Creator (God) and his works. For years, many people thought American
Indians were praying to a host of many Gods simply because they would subscribe
to his works with titles. A native
person may lend to a tree as his sister, a bear or horse as his brother, the
sky as his father, and the Earth as his Mother.
Finally, after many, many years, we are hearing others addressing the
world we live on as Mother Earth. One
Creator, much creation! The plants are
referred to as sisters, the animals are brothers, and so forth.
Today, Christians and others are
using the endearing name Mother Earth to create an alliance with one of God’s
greatest gifts, Earth. My wife is a
Lakota Indian from South Dakota and in the Lakota language they have a
beautiful saying, ”MitaKuye Oyasin” which simply means, “We are all related”. Those are just words but if you put these
words to work, we find ourselves not serving false idols or gods but rather, lending
reverence and respect to the Mother of life via the Father of life.
Every Mother’s Day weekend in
Canton, Georgia we host our Cherokee County Indian Festival and Mother’s Day
PowWow on the Etowah River. Where we pay
tribute to the Earth’s bountiful and forever giving necessities of life, we are
all about saying thanks to Mom by recognizing them in our main arena through
dance and song. Among the Cherokee
people, the women are held to the highest of esteem as they were the ones that
would not only breathe life into the tribes but also recognized for their
rational mindset and heart. It was the
“Beloved Woman” that would let the men know when they were to go into war. It was the woman that decided the fate of a
captive. These were high positions of
honor and to this day the Cherokee have a Beloved Woman within their tribe as a
manner of respect and tradition in which they can consult upon.
The Mother’s Day Pow Wow in
Canton, Georgia has become one of the largest and most acclaimed cultural
gatherings on the east coast and Native American artists, dancers, singers, and
drummers travel from across the country and as far away as Canada and Mexico to
participate in dance competitions, trade and commerce. The event may attract American Indian people
from across the country but it is actually produced for the general public, as
our goal is cultural exchange through fellowship, feast and fun. The PowWow is a two-day festival in which we
represent a multi-tribal element of arts, crafts, foods, dance and
entertainment while tricking everyone into an educational arena.
This event is in its twenty third year and is known for
being the Renaissance Festival version of “Dances With Wolves” while
maintaining the reverence and respect of those we represent. There are other semi-similar events out there
but we are proud to have the best of the best in the southeast when it comes to
authenticity, audience appeal and audience participation. Our showcase is Vegas quality and for an
outdoor festival we deliver a broad spectrum of acts such as, Ray Pena, Raptor
Man, who flies the world’s fastest bird through the hair of the unsuspecting
audience. Ray’s birds of prey show hosts
numerous self-propelled free flight birds that make for great pictures and even
greater memories. Warriors on Horseback
battle it out in a mock reenactment that is derived from a traditional warriors
song called the Sneak-up. Everyone loves the Aztec Dance Company as they fill
up the dance arena with high energy and lots of laughter as the viewing guests becomes
participants. Competitors dance for cash & prizes in numerous dance categories
and styles such as Men’s Traditional, Women’s Jingle, Grass Dance, and the fast
and flashy high energy Fancy Dancers. Watch
as our Native Specialty act transforms himself into numerous life forms while
performing the elaborate and mystical Hoop Dance. Walk through a real Indian tipi (teepee)
village and check out an authentic woodlands Wigwam. Meet Thunder a 2,000 pound 100% bull buffalo
(Bison). Watch as I attempt to ride this friendly monster and then rest his huge
head in my lap. Thunder has been on the
Wolfe farm since he was five days old and he will be twenty one years old this
July 17th. Thunder serves as
an ambassador for the Yellowstone Herd in Wyoming where the last herd of
genetically pure wild buffaloes roam. You can learn more about these majestic
animals at: www.buffalofieldscampaign.com “The truth is, this herd belongs to you”.
Our market place allows for guests
to browse and shop some very unique and interesting booths that are adorned
with lots of handcraft and a bit of fine art by such artist as David Behrens,
Lola Rios, and Mark Barfoot. Leather,
bones, pottery, beads, jewelry, canvas, stained glass, herbs, soaps &
scents, clothes and more. While walking
the river walk and viewing the many sights you will savor the smells of Native
cuisine at its best such as, gator tail, roasted corn, Indian fry bread, Pima
wraps, shrimp wraps, and sadly enough, buffalo but not Thunder.
We all know that what makes a Mom
special, it is their ability to be Moms and with that we have to recognize the
kids, as no engine, no caboose = no Papoose.
We do have kids activities such as pony rides, bungee jumps, etc. but
they are often intrigued as are their fathers by our primitive skills
demonstrators such as hide tanning, flint napping (arrowhead makers), fire by
friction, and archery teachers. Where we
do adhere to the common sense delivery of social consciousness opposed to the
rigid silliness that being political corrective often imposes, we are about
having a good time therefore asking everyone to loosen up and get festive on us.
So, with that said, know this- for
the most part, we call each other Indian, Native American, American Indian,
First Nations, etc., along with one another’s inherent name. We are prideful in our attempt to deliver you
an intertribal event that promotes the integrity of a diverse group of proud
people. In the end, we are a collective
work of not only Native Americans but, Americans as a whole. When you come out to be a part of the Mother’s
Day weekend PowWow we hope you are open to having a great time and in the midst
of the day you are compelled to call us brother, friend, and/or simply say
hello. Sometimes its not important that
we remember what things mean in another’s language so much as it is that we remember
what it means in our own. MitaKuye Oyasin or “We are all related” for somewhere
down the road, however far we all come from the same mother.
P.S. Bring your camera and don’t
forget Mom…
