Mashpee Wampanoag’s 92nd Annual Pow Wow held July 5-7 By Scott A. Giordano THE BULLETIN Posted Jul 02, 2013 @ 03:32 PM Last update Jul 02, 2013 @ 03:38 PM MASHPEE — The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s 92nd annual Pow Wow will be held July 5-7 at the Barnstable County Fairgrounds, 1220 Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151), in East Falmouth. This year’s theme, “Keepers from the East,” celebrates all Eastern native woodland tribes. “It’s a homecoming and gathering and a welcoming experience for our neighbors and friends. It’s an opportunity to share our Native American Indian culture. What people will see is different types of traditional regalia that the dancers wear,” noted Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Chairman Cedric Cromwell. “There’s a spiritual experience to it as well. The ring is a circle, and that circle is the circle of life, in which the dancers come out in procession. That initial procession of the circle is called Grand Entry. That Grand Entry is so important to us because it has different tribes and different dance styles represent the various facets of our tribal nations,” he added. “What you are going to experience at the Mashpee Wampanog Pow Wow is a series of many drums, drummer and singers providing different traditionally cultural songs. That drumbeat is the heartbeat of our tribe, and many dancers will be out there dancing to the drums. You’ll feel the intensity, the heartbeat, the passion, and the love for these drums.” The annual event celebrates the heritage and culture of the “People of the First Light” and features three days of solemn, spiritual and festive events. Highlights include a Traditional Dance Contest, Traditional Drumming Contest, New England Birds of Prey, and musical performances by the Wampanoag Nation singers and dancers. A special highlight of the Pow Wow will be the Fireball Game. “It’s thousands of thousands of years old. The game is a very spiritual healing medicine game,” Cromwell said. “It looks like a soccer game, but it’s a ball that is actually on fire that has been made in a very spiritual way for medicine. When the warriors play this game, it’s a way of healing. It’s a way to take away the pain from ones who are sick, from ones who have passed. The warriors take that pain through that fire. Fire is the light of life, if you will, that raises those prayers.” Native American handcrafts and cuisine will also be showcased, including a traditional New England Clam Bake, which was invented by the Wampanoag tribe centuries ago. “The Clam Bake is a traditional meal provided by the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe that will be on sale for our neighbors and friends,” Cromwell said. “The Europeans experienced that as our tribal members, way back in the ancient days … providing the best in seafood and lobsters and shellfish.” Sheldon Sundown will be Master of Ceremonies. Each day’s events run from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Morning activities include Birds of Prey, flute music, and the Warwick dancers. Grand Entry takes place daily at noon. Also daily, there will be native food, arts and crafts followed by a flag ceremony, a veterans ceremony, and the opening prayer. Then, the regular program begins. The native women’s Double Ball competition also will be held every day. Friday features Native American food. Saturday features a canoe race, in memory of Sly Fox, beginning at 6 a.m. at Mashpee Wakeby. The Fire Ball is also on Saturday, at 8:30 p.m. Sunday features a little different program – non-competitive dancing, the Pow Wow Princess competition, and the Wampanoag Clam Bake. “The Princess Pageant is a very important event for our tribal community, especially for our young women. A lot of young women come out for this event because it is a rite of passage,” Cromwell said. “You’ll see contestants come out and speak as to why it’s important for them to be the Mashpee Wampanoag Pow Wow Princess. It brings out the best in our tribal young women.” The event is open to the general public with a $13 admission fee for those 12 and up, $8 for children under 12 and seniors age 65 and older. Children under 5 are admitted for free. The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present day Massachusetts for more than 12,000 years. The Mashpee Wampanoag were re-acknowledged as a federally-recognized tribe in 2007 and retain full tribal sovereignty rights. There are about 2,600 enrolled citizens of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe. For more information, call 774-327-0662.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 23:50:34 +0000