Hi powwowndn
I'm only replying to this as I started the discussion about the Blackwater Muskogee and some of their specific claims. I don't know what an authentic Musgokee powwow would look like. Maybe it would be helpful to talk about when powwows in Europe might be OK ( if ever ? )and when they are just offensive. But that wouldn't be a discussion specifically about the so called Blackwater Muskogee. The thread on them began in research needed because of the claims they made of being a tribe with Chiefs and tribal ambassadors in Europe. When their nearest federally recognized relatives didn't recognize these claims , the thread got moved to frauds.
That doesn't mean everything they do is a fraud or based in a flight of fantasy .
Probably judgments about if something is actually a fraud would have to be applied to some specific cultural tradition and not just a whole powwow. Like whether or not a way of dancing or style of regalia is truly an authentic tribal tradition. It's possible people who are distant desendents from a tribe might have learned some authentic traditions and the federally recognized Muskogee might feel OK about that specific aspect of Muskogee culture being performed in Europe by whoever may be doing this. If that was the case, then I guess that part of what they are doing in Europe would be authentic and respectful.
It seems like this post could be the start of an interesting general discussion of European powwows - or maybe it could just be a part of the already existing Blackwater Muskogee thread. Do we really need another thread on the Blackwater Muskogee?
(edited to add missing word "need" above)
