“At every pow wow there is a list of unwritten rules that just about everyone in attendance – of any age – knows that you dare not break. We are not talking about pow wow etiquette, which is important; we are talking about the rules of which we usually don’t speak. In fact, these rules are so seldom discussed, they are passed down, generation to generation, by intuition.” V. Schilling ICTMN
Excerpt: …8 Funny Unwritten Pow Wow Rules, By Vincent Schilling, ICTMN
Don’t Sit in That Elder’s Chair!
The Chair. Photo- ICMN
“You know you are not supposed to sit there. And don’t pretend you don’t know which chair we are talking about. It’s the super-deluxe, monogrammed elder’s folding chair with umbrella clamp, drink holder and mesh basket underneath the seat for holding specialty items.
If you did sit in that chair? Well, let’s just say that elder is old-school, and you may not be sitting down again anytime soon.
Don’t Talk To That One Vendor Before He/She’s Had Their Coffee
This doesn’t need much explanation. You know the one we are talking about – you arrive late on Friday, camp until the morning, when everyone starts setting up. Steer clear of this vendor until coffee has been consumed … because … well let’s just say some ‘grumpy vendors’ have been known to throw things.
Parents of ‘Energetic Kids’ Are Permitted to Influence their Kids to Dance, ‘One More Time!’
Are we there yet? Are we there yet?
We all know those native pow wow kids who always have an abundance of energy. They can only do so many craft projects that are supposed to keep them from asking “Are we home yet?” for the 76th time. So, dear parents of these “highly motivated kids,” you are permitted to give them a few gentle nudges to dance “One more time!” There is a lot of parental bliss in a quiet car filled with sleeping children after a busy, busy pow wow day.
The Weather Will Be in Opposition to the Regalia You Wear
It is a supreme rule of all our ancestors – who laugh like coyotes watching us from the other side – that the weather will be the exact opposite of what we need, based on our wardrobe that day. Wearing three layers of buckskin? It is going to be a humid 99 degrees that day. Going with a thin ribbon shirt or wearing a simple loincloth? Break out the sled: It is going to snow.”
