Originally posted by Holden McGroin
According to Dictionary.com,
lol
The roots of the Pow-wow may be older but it is certainly not the same thing as their rituals and ceremonies.
http://www.civilization.ca/media/docs/fspow02e.html"In the powwow as in painting, First Nations performers and painters are expressing a very beautiful dream of a time when all spirits are together in the past, present and future, when all are one in perfect harmony and timelessness.
The word "powwow" is said to come from the Eastern Algonquian word "pahwayaw." Indeed, the Pequot Nation claims the word is from its language. It was once used as a general term to describe any community gathering such as a political assembly or communal planting and harvesting. Early settlers from Europe corrupted the word to "powwow" and used it mainly in a derogatory sense. By the early twentieth century, however, the word "powwow" came to refer specifically to the music and dance styles of the northern plains.
Prior to the twentieth century, both sedentary and nomadic First Nations communities had various societies that were responsible for organizing and conducting the activities required for the smooth operation of a community. Committees and workers organized the community's spiritual, hunting, policing, militia, agricultural, healing and craft activities. From time to time throughout the year, these various committees would gather for meetings or celebrations to plan, administer or conduct their activities. A "Spiritual Feast" as well as the individual society's songs and dances usually accompanied these meetings.
By the turn of the nineteenth century, many societies were becoming less important to the newer lifestyles making their way onto the reservations. Inter-tribal warfare disappeared as communities began to support each other's struggles against various governmental systems and controls. Buffalo Hunt societies no longer engaged in buffalo hunting. Dog Soldiers or Kit-Fox societies were no longer needed. What would these communities preserve and take with them into the twentieth century? What would be allowed or prohibited under the Canadian and American federal governments? Canada's Dominion Day (July 1), Independence Day (July 4) in the United States, and the many Wild West Shows were examples of occasions when the various governments allowed, and indeed requested, displays of traditional food, clothing, songs and dances. The modern version of the powwow evolved from these events and over time became the rallying force for twentieth century cultural survival."
The contempory Pow-wow is not the same as their celebrations, feasts, rituals and the like. It might have evolved from different aspects of different tribes traditions but is not an "Old Tradition".
Please link me to 1 Pow-wow that happened before the USA was even a country. Hell how about before the Civil War? They didn't occur so don't waste your time. They are/were an invention to generate revenue, why do you think there is a "Pow-Wow" circuit? It might not be all about money, but that certainly played a major role in forming of PoW-Wow's.
