Sac and Fox Pow Wow: August, 2009

Grand Entry

Last week end, my son, Patrick, and I traveled to Powhattan, Kansas to participate in the annual Sac and Fox Pow Wow. This was the second year that we have been among the vendors at this event. At one point, it was uncertain as to whether or not the tribe would have a Pow Wow this year due to some financial considerations.

However, thanks to Pow Wow committe, it was determined that the event would be held. While it was not as big as last year's event as the delay in setting a date cut into promotion time, we had a wonderful time and it was good to see old friends and make new ones. While I never get much time to take photos at these events, I always manage a few.

Jingle Dress From Front

Back View of Jingle Dress

Drummers Take A Break
Color in Motion

Never To Young To Select Your Own Jewelry!
Jewelry Trays and Display
Patrick Assists a Customer
Patrick is always on the look out for something different to amuse the children. This year's featured item is wooden frogs that make frog sounds. Both the children and adults loved them.
A Very Young Jingle Dancer Off To Spend Her Money
I'm Dancer 322. Vote For Me!

Patrick met a local photographer who took around 200 photos at this event. The next day, he showed up with a cd of his work. As is frequently done at Pow Wows, he and Patrick worked out a trade....he selected one of Patrick's native embroidered baseball caps and Patrick got a copy of his photos. I haven't had a chance to view the cd as yet, but know there will be many great photos on it. I will select some of them to share with you at a later date.

Cherokee Nation: First Tribe In U.S. To Be Accredited

CN first tribe to earn DNV accreditation
Monday, 10 August 2009

The Cherokee Nation is the first Native American tribe in the United States and
the first health care system in Oklahoma to receive the Det Norske Veritas
Health care accreditation, which focuses on the quality of patient care for an
entire health care system.

“We are honored to be the first healthcare system in Oklahoma and the first tribal system in the U.S. to receive this accreditation,” Principal Chief Chad Smith said. The DNV system primarily focuses on the overall quality of care of patients who utilize an entire health care system. As part of the accreditation process, the group tracked the care of patients using many parts of the CN Health Services system, including the EMS service, various health centers, the hospital, programs and more. An important aspect in achieving the group’s standards is consistency throughout the entire health care system

Maybe our Congress and Senate should check out the Cherokee's program!

Misrepresentation of American Indian Merchandise

A Santa Fe business accused of misrepresenting the status of American Indian merchandise must pay the state attorney general's office a civil penalty of $10,000.

The attorney general's office announced the consent degree with Golden Bear Trading, Inc., on Monday. The business closed its doors in July due to "economic reasons."

The consent degree stems from a lawsuit filed last year. Authorities alleged that Golden Bear Trading misrepresented jewelry as having been made by noted Indian artist Calvin Begay during three undercover operations.

The consent degree requires the company to comply with the Indian Arts and Crafts Sales Act, which spells out what may be represented as "authentic" Indian arts and crafts.
Golden Bear Trading also must pay $2,255 in restitution to the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

This article appears on this website who granted permission for replicating here:

http://www.nativebiz.com/content/view/3056/141/

If you have interest in reading the Indian Arts and Crafts Act, you can do so at this website:

http://www.elpasosaddleblanket.com/act.htm

2009 Lincoln Indian Club Pow Wow

On July 31, August 1 & 2, 2009, Patrick and I vended at the 33rd annual Lincoln Indian Club Pow Wow in Lincoln, Nebrasa.

It was a very successful event despite the high winds on Sunday. We were forced to leave the sides of our tent down to avoid chasing our product around the arena. By so doing, we created our very own "sweat lodge".

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It was great to see old friends and make new ones. One that I was especially glad to see was a very young "old friend". Her name is Nevaeh Horse, Ponca and Lakota. She is now six years old.

Last year, her Uncle purchased one of my barrettes to add to her lime green regalia. I blogged about her in my August 8, 2008 blog. If you would like to check back, you can see photos of her there.

Nevaeh is not only a year older but has achieved the title of "Little Miss Ponca". This year it was her Father who purchased one of my items for Nevaeh's new jingle dress regalia.

A new friend is pictured here. She is Angelina Nockai. All of this wonderful beadwork on her regalia was done by Angelina herself . She is such a delightful young lady, a college student and an excellent beader. In fact, we loved her work so much that we gave Angelina two baseball caps and commissioned her to bead them for us. When she finishes them, I will post a blog about them as well.

It is always such a pleasure for me to make something that someone wants to add to their regalia! There is no greater honor for me. Here is a young lady wearing one of my feathered hair clips that her Mother purchased for this event.

As you can see, it is the children and young people who fascinate me most. They are the future of our culture. It makes me proud to see them curious about our products, building their regalia and learning to be dance proudly. Here is Patrick discussing beadwork with a young Native "Diva".

I have posted more photos of this event on my Flickr. If you care to take a peek go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jstinson/sets/72157621809601647/

Our next Pow Wow is the Sac and Fox of Missouri in Kansas and Nebraska. We look forward to seeing more friends at this event.