What a Powwow Is, and What It Is Not
A powwow is a social gathering, typically built around dancing, drumming and singing, that brings together people from many Native nations. It is best understood as an intertribal tradition that spread widely across North America during the 20th century. It is not an ancient Apache ceremony, and describing it that way would be inaccurate.
The word itself is often traced to a term from an Algonquian language of the Northeast, which English speakers later used for various Native gatherings, and the modern powwow is generally associated with the Plains. Its history is usually described as drawing on Plains dance societies and on the performance and fair circuits of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it grew and spread in later decades as Native people traveled, served in the military, moved to cities and organized gatherings of their own. Historians describe different strands, and the details are debated, so it is wise to be cautious about any single origin story.
Apache Nations and Powwows
Apache nations and individuals take part in powwows in two ways. Some nations or community groups host powwows, often as part of a larger event such as a fair, a school program or a holiday weekend. Others attend powwows hosted by other nations, where Apache dancers, singers, vendors and spectators may be among the participants. An Apache powwow, then, is a powwow organized by an Apache community, not a distinct Apache form.
The Plains Apache of Oklahoma live within the southern Plains region where powwow traditions are especially strong, and they take part in the social and dance life of the area with neighboring nations such as the Kiowa. Western Apache, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Chiricahua and Lipan people also attend and host gatherings of varying kinds, and the involvement differs between communities and families. Some people are active participants and others are not, and some communities are more focused on their own ceremonies and events. No single account can describe all of this.
How Powwows Differ From Apache Ceremonies
The key distinction is purpose. Powwows are social and celebratory, open in large part to visitors, and organized around shared forms that many nations recognize. Apache ceremonies, by contrast, are specific to particular groups and communities, are tied to their own languages, stories and responsibilities, and are usually not held for public viewing.
A girl’s coming-of-age rite in a Western Apache or Mescalero community, or a healing ceremony conducted by a practitioner, has its own songs and structure. These are different from powwow songs and dances and are not performed at powwows. Treating them as the same thing erases that difference. Many Apache people take part in both without confusing them: a family may hold a ceremony at home and go to a powwow the same season.
Common Elements
Powwows vary by region and host, but several features are widely described:
- Grand Entry. Dancers enter the arena, usually in a set order, often led by flags and veterans.
- Drum groups. Groups of singers gather around a large drum, and the songs are in a mix of vocables and sometimes language.
- Dance categories. Dancing is commonly divided by age, gender and style, and some events include competitions with prizes.
- Intertribal dances. Anyone present may be invited into the arena for a social dance, but often only when the announcer says so.
- Vendors and food. Art, jewelry and food booths are a regular feature.
- Honorings. Families may honor a relative, a veteran or a graduate during the event.
Dancers wear regalia that may reflect their own nation, family and the style they dance. Regalia is personal and often handed down or made by relatives, and it is not a costume. Apache powwow regalia may include beadwork and other items with family or community meaning, though the specifics differ from person to person.
Why Powwows Matter to Communities
For many Native people, powwows provide a regular occasion for reunion, a place for young dancers to learn, and a setting where veterans and elders are publicly honored. They also offer income to artists and vendors. Some communities see them as a way to share a living culture with neighbors while keeping their private ceremonies private. Apache communities may value them for the same reasons, alongside their own events such as fairs and rodeos.
Powwows are also a place where intertribal friendships form, which fits a longer history of Apache trade and diplomacy with neighboring peoples, though the modern powwow itself is a recent development within that long history of contact.
Visiting a Powwow
Most powwows welcome the public, but the host sets the rules. A few widely shared courtesies:
- Stand when asked, such as during the Grand Entry or an honor song, and remove hats if the announcer requests it.
- Do not touch someone’s regalia or ask to try it on.
- Ask before taking photographs of dancers, and follow any announcements about recording.
- Stay out of the arena unless invited to dance.
- Treat the drum with respect and do not reach over or lean on it.
Check the host nation’s official site or posted flyers for dates, location and any visitor guidance, since these change.
A Last Distinction
The powwow is real, widely loved and important to many Apache people, but it is not the same as the older ceremonial life of Apache communities. Keeping that distinction clear is the most accurate way to describe both.