By Debbie Robinson
news@joplinglobe.com
WYANDOTTE, Okla. — Members of the Ottawa Tribe from New York to California gathered over the weekend on tribal grounds outside Wyandotte for the 46th annual Ottawa Powwow and Celebration.
“This is the biggest powwow we’ve had here,” said tribal Councilman Kevin Dawes.
Dawes estimated that at least 400 campers showed up for the three-day event, and many more arrived to participate in gourd dances, stomp dances and war dances.
The site with tree-lined rolling hills is adjacent to the Ottawa Tribe Cemetery.
“It’s a social gathering,” said Dawes’ sister, Charla Dawes, who is also a tribal council member. “We get together and share what’s going on in our lives.”
More than 100 adult dancers participated Saturday night in the various dances, she said.
On Sunday morning, the Indian Junior Olympics were held for children 6 through 12. The children batted balls and competed in a horse tether race. A diaper derby also was held.
“Some are not so steady, so their mothers helped them out,” Charla Dawes said.
All of the children received ribbons, and the finalists received trophies.
“Everybody wins,” Kevin Dawes said.
Next year, Charla Dawes said, the tribe plans to add a goldfish race. Children will be assigned goldfish in a large trough, and the first goldfish to swim to a 5-gallon bucket will be named the winner.
The name “Ottawa” is from the Indian word “adawe,” meaning to trade, according to the tribe’s Web site. The tribe has about 2,500 members nationwide, with the majority living outside the state of Oklahoma.
The language spoken by the original members of the tribe is dying.
Shirley Dixon Boman, of Goodman, Mo., said she is trying to keep the heritage alive and has attended all of the tribe’s powwows.
The grandmother took four generations of her family to the powwow, and many participated in the dances.
Boman, who was raised in Quapaw, said she makes buckskin dresses for her eight granddaughters, and they help with beading. Boman said the event stresses the importance of the rich heritage.
“It’s a culture that I don’t want my children to lose,” she said. “We’ve got to keep the heritage.”
