This past weekend, my wife and I took our kids down to the Indian Summer Festival held at Milwaukee’s Summerfest grounds. Thus far in life, the only exposure to Indians my kids have had has been what they see on Scooby-Doo, so we felt this would be a good educational opportunity for them. My son, Buck, told me he didn’t want to go see the Indians because “they’re scary” (they are usually ghosts on Scooby-Doo). So, we went onto YouTube the night before and pulled up some Pow Wow videos for him to watch. This set him at ease.
We got to Indian Summer early enough on Saturday to grab some food before the big Pow Wow began. We were eating some Indian flatbread, which I referred to as “Indian donuts” so I could get the kids to try it. Once they tried the deep-fried, buttery, sugar and cinnamon treat, they gobbled it up. As we were eating it, I did my best Indian chant saying, “I like donuts, I like donuts, I like donuts!” My wife quickly scoffed at me and reminded me that I may not be exactly politically correct chanting like that sitting at a table surrounded by true Native Americans! No disrespect intended though.
We then went to see the Pow Wow, which was really cool. Many nations of Indians were represented, all in traditional garb. As they entered the Pow Wow area as part of the “Grand Entry”, they danced and chanted to various traditional Indian tunes. Before that, one of the leaders of the festival gave an opening prayer that was quite moving. While I can’t quote him exactly, he said something to the effect of “We are here not as a race, not as a nation, and not as an ethnic group. We are all here as people, to celebrate our Earth, our skies and all those people we share it with”. It was quite a moving prayer when coupled with the passion these people displayed in their dance, song, attire and celebrations.
Afterwards, all of the Indian Nations broke off into areas throughout the grounds and began traditional celebrations specific to their tribes. All was done authentically, with emcee’s describing the dances and chants so observers got an education on what the significance of every move was.
All in all, it was a great festival, and one I would certainly recommend to anyone. It was a great way to learn more about the many Indian Nations that exist in our country, as well as a great way to enjoy the Summerfest grounds without having to fight the major crowds normally associated with other festivals. All this, and now my family has a greater respect for the many Indian cultures, and my kids don’t just think Indians are simply some scary ghosts on Scooby-Doo!
G’Night G’Town!
When asked by an anthropologist what the Indians called America before the white man came, an Indian said simply, "Ours." ~Vine Deloria, Jr.
