Whitmire mulls hosting pow-wow eventBy Elyssa Parnell eparnell@civitasmedia.com
1 months 2 days 17 hours ago |20 Views |
0 Comments
||Email|Print
Roy Spotted Eagle Glass spoke to Whitmire council members Monday on the pros and cons of hosting a pow-wow later this year.
Roy Spotted Eagle Glass spoke to Whitmire council members Monday on the pros and cons of hosting a pow-wow later this year.
WHITMIRE — Whitmire Town Council members are tossing around the idea of hosting a pow-wow in late October in Whitmire.
Judy Burnett came to council last month to discuss the possibility of holding a weekend pow-wow in Whitmire. Mayor Billy Hollingsworth asked Burnett to bring the representative in charge of the event to a special meeting in which they could discuss the details with council.
Roy Spotted Eagle Glass presented the pros and cons of such an event to council during a called meeting Monday. The event would be funded through the town’s own resources.
Glass explained that his pow-wows are spiritual events, unless classified as a competition pow-wow that entailed drum teams, dancers and cash pay-offs.
“I don’t like to mix business with spiritual,” Glass said. “I recommend for a town like Whitmire that you do not host a competition pow-wow.”
Councilwoman Cassie Fowler suggested Glass provide reading material for them to look over before making decisions. The website
http://calendar.powwows.com/events-2 was given for research.
Glass recommended an inner tribal pow-wow for Whitmire, which he described as spiritual. All cultures are welcome at inner tribal events, Glass said.
An inner tribal pow-wow would consist of a three-day event starting on Friday, known as “Kid’s Day,” and continuing through Sunday evening.
Glass said Fridays would be a day all about children from the community. The schools would be allowed to bring their classes as a field trip.
“It’s an educational day for kids at no cost,” Glass said. “It’s a given day for community as a learning experience for kids.”
On Kid’s Day, Glass said the schools would learn about the language, and the way Native Americans lived then versus now. There would also be dance demonstrations for children.
On Saturday, the gates would open between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. for the pow-wow which would include a grand entry at 11 a.m., and continue through sundown. Sunday would be similar in schedule, with a slightly later gate opening time.
Glass said vendors are a part of events like this, called a “Pow Wow Trail,” which typically begins in April. Those involved in vending at these types of events are gone from their homes for months out of the year.
If Whitmire decided to host a pow-wow, their flier and event information would be posted to the pow-wow calendar website listed above, where vendors would contact the town to participate for a fee.
Decisions
Glass said he is paid to set up the event, provide an emcee, drum team (eight people) and an arena director. All other entertainment, vendors, etc. would be the responsibility of the town.
The money Glass is paid also goes toward paying the teams that participate in the pow-wow. Glass offered the town a price of $2,000 to set up the event.
Whitmire would be responsible for providing lodging for four of the eight members of the drum team. The other four members are his children and live with him 15 minutes from town.
Whitmire also would be responsible for providing food to the entertainers while they’re on the grounds. Glass told council members that most — if not all or more — of the $2,000 fee would be recouped through entrance fees and vendor fees.
Councilman Dwight Lane asked Glass with rescheduling with the possibility of bad weather during the event. Glass told Lane no money was owed until the pow-wow had been completed, so in the event of bad weather, the event could be rescheduled.
Council made no decision on Monday. Hollingsworth suggested they take time to process the information and discuss it at next month’s council meeting on April 14. Hollingsworth will then contact Glass to give him the town’s decision.
Hollingsworth said he felt more informed after the meeting than he originally was.
“Now we have some idea of what our responsibilities are and what we have to do to make it happen,” Hollingsworth said. “I think it’s a good thing for Whitmire.”
