Socially Distanced Powwows

Abstract

Native American powwows are among of the largest North American dance practices, comprising hundreds of yearly events throughout the United States and Canada. As the largest expression of Native American music and dance, powwows are deeply embedded cultural expressions that negotiate traditions, create and reflect identity, support individual dancers and Indigenous communities, and carry information and practices that are not available any other way. March 2020 ushered in vast disruptions to these practices. Ever resourceful and innovative, Native Americans found ways to continue online by creating socially distanced powwows. Socially distanced powwows reveal the various social, economic, and community-building functions that powwows fulfill and how critical they are for Native American communities. This article provides an introduction to intertribal powwows and demonstrates how dance educators can incorporate them into curricula. I then examine the changes to powwow practices that have occurred since March 2020, including how socially distanced powwows operate, and what they reveal about the embeddedness of dance practices to Native American communities. I then suggest ways that dance educators can include socially distanced powwows that are culturally appropriate and respectful in their curricula.