Caleb Lanford November 15, 2012 Mr.

Borrero English 1101

Title 1.) Introduction: Introduce your central topic What central idea, question, or prompt are you responding to? o No matter what culture you associate yourself with; there is always an event or tradition that you take part in to show your appreciation for that specific culture. o The Native American culture expresses their appreciation towards their culture in many ways; one way is through powwows. o A Powwow is a gathering of anyone, regardless of tribal affiliation or race, in which they sing, play drums, dance, and just honor American Indian culture as a whole. In order to explain the components of a Powwow, I will be using the University of North Carolina at Charlottes first annual Powwow. Set the tone How do you want your audience to feel about the topic you are engaging with? o appreciative

State your purpose (see Moodle for a more elaborate explanation of purpose statements) o The purpose of this ethnographic study is to explain how American Indian culture understands narrative, storytelling, and conveying their history through powwows. 2.) To conduct this essay, I will initially inform where Powwows originated, additionally, I will inform the components of Powwows, and finally, I will inform the literacy strategies and procedures utilized by the partakers to carry out Powwows. 3.) Through discussing the literacy exercised of Powwow participators, I would like to convey unity and to demonstrate the appreciation of Powwows.

2.) General Context: What is the history or origin of the field that this community is engaging with?

Brief detailed description of Native American History

Years before Christopher Columbus supposedly discovered America, Native Americans, also called American Indians, had been living in North American. Native Americans first thought that Columbus and the other Europeans would be exciting and interesting, but little did they know that when they arrived, things would drastically change. The Europeans were greedy, hateful, and they even brought many deadly diseases. As time went by, the Native Americans were forced off their lands and pushed further and further west. There were numerous conflicts that led to wars and sometimes even massacres in which many Native Americans tragically lost their lives. Soon the Native Americans only had a few small Indian reservations for themselves, very different from when the continent was their home. Due to their horrific history, many Native American tribes have become scarce in number and are even close to becoming extinct, but they are making strives to revive their tribal languages and their past-time stories. According to Paul Harris, a writer for the guardian newspaper, in his article Native Americans find their voice, he stated that efforts range from college courses and immersion schools for young people, to simply recording the languages before the last native speakers die The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee (CLCPC) has created a dictionary, developed language courses and CDs of Comanche songs and holds annual courses in five Oklahoma towns in which large numbers of Comanche live. The group has also taught the language to some families, even going as far as to give financial incentives for some to teach their children Comanche. Powwows are another important way for Native Americans to tell stories and to spread their language. o Native American vs. American Indian. (Dennis Zotigh) American Indian because it is the language of the law. When the United States deals with the 565 recognized tribes and when the state tribes deal with their state governments, the word American Indian is used in law terms. In Washington D.C. many of the American Indian organizations do have the word Indian in them. They are National Oranizations: The Bureau of Indian Affairs, The Indain Health Service, The National Indian Gaming Association(NIGA), The National Congress of American Indians, The National Indian Education Association, The National Museum of American Indians. Mostly referred to as American Indian and sometimes Native Americans.

"Powwow was an Algonquin term, "pauwau" or "pauau", which referred to a gathering of medicine men and spiritual leaders. "Pauwauing" referred to a religious ceremony, usually one of curing. In the 1800's the European explorers observing these religious gatherings and dances mispronounced the word as powwow. (Jennings, p. 241.)

According to Dennis Zotigh, Master of Ceremonies at the University of North Carolina at Charlottes first annual Powwow, Grand Entry originated from the Wild West Shows that took place all throughout the North American plains. Part of the greatest draw of the wild west show was the very

first contest to ever take place. Henry Snake and Ottoman were the first contestants. They did a war dance out in front of the Arena and the Grand Stand. A hat was placed over them, for the biggest applause to see who won. Eventually, contest started to pick up all over the U.S. o Components of Powwow (members and duties) Arena DirectorA AKA Whip Man In charge of the Powwow

Master of Ceremonies Keeps the ceremony flowing o Dennis Zotigh

Head Dancers The head dancers lead the other dancers in the grand entry o o Male-Billy Hunt Female-Taryn Walking Eagle - Meseth

Host drums and drum groups Provide music for dancers to dance Head dancers also sing o o Southern Drum - Southern Sun Singers Northern Drum - Stoney Creek Depends on size of Powwow

Types of Dances:

Grass o o represent the flow of windy prairie grass dancers: rock, shake, sways, slides, hops, etc

Fancy o o fine footwork bright clothes

Tradish

 Jingle

Buckskin bobbing head and turning their feet to the side

Women o bright cloth dresses usually with 365 tin cones

3.) Context About Your Site: As you consider your discourse community, think about how you can address the following points: What is the history of this specific community, and what is their central goal? o Show pride for their Indian culture and to demonstrate unity

How can I describe the members of this community? o o o o o UNCC Nov. 3, 2012 Star Men and Women Pride, non-fiction, happy, energetic, respectful(enter arena quietly and no shorts) Ages 5+

Does the environment play a pivotal role in this community? o o 2 green tents with host drum groups MC between the two

What knowledge, skills, or language do I need to illuminate for my reader? What do I need to convey in order to set up the discussion of literacy in this community? How do these points tie back to my central purpose? 4.) Engage your purpose:

What do I need to convey/discuss in order to achieve my central purpose? How can I use observations to illustrate/explain/analyze literacy acts? How can I use interviews to provide knowledge, insight, and commentary from insiders? How can I use secondary sources to establish credibility, reinforce my claims, and demonstrate that I am contributing to the conversations about my discourse community?

How can I use images, diagrams, visual artifacts, and examples of texts from your site as aids within my piece to expand the scope of my analysis or provide reference points for my reader? 5.) Conclusion:

How can I emphasize the importance of this conversation and of my central purpose? How does my research create a new understanding of this community? Are there additional ideas or questions that can be pursued based off of your research? What can my reader actually do with this information and how can it benefit them?