Powwow Will Unite Dozens of Tribes : Gathering Offers Chance to Renew Old Friendships

Here on the West Coast, the Indian powwow is a tradition as ancient as Sputnik.

Unlike the Plains Indians, for whom the powwow is an ancient and venerated tradition, the tribes of California never gathered that way and, among themselves, still don’t.

But when many American Indians throughout the country began to move to urban areas in the second half of the century, the intertribal powwow became a way for Indians from many parts of the nation to stay in touch. Although the original powwows involved only members of single tribes, the modern counterpart is a kind of come-one-come-all gala.

Take the one this weekend--the 22nd annual powwow at the Orange County Fairgrounds, coordinated by the Southern California Indian Center. There will be dances, songs, rituals and art as old as tribal culture itself. And the hundreds of Indians expected from around the country will bring with them stories of ancestors.

But the powwow itself--which will be held Friday through Sunday--is a kind of homogenous, urban version of the single-tribe gatherings common among the Plains Indians in centuries past.

Such modern powwows became popular in California during the 1950s as “a valuable way to make contact with other members of the Indian community who were not directly related to us,” said Paul Apodaca, a Navajo and folk art curator at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. “It’s an intertribal expression for many Indians who are in foreign lands, so to speak.”

Indeed, Southern California is not the native land of most Indians who live here. Many Indians migrated to the Southland in the 1950s when the federal government closed reservations in other parts of the country.

These newly urban Indians found themselves disassociated from their tribal lands and their people. Their culture, said Apodaca, often became diluted.

But with the resurrection of the powwow tradition--albeit on a more ecumenical level--Indians found a kind of cultural touchstone for the recognition and celebration of their ethnic identity.

The powwows also became an opportunity for other Americans to witness firsthand the most ancient and sacred of tribal traditions.

The Orange County powwow is one of the largest on the West Coast, said John Castillo, an Apache and executive director of the Southern California Indian Center in Garden Grove. It could hardly be less; Southern California is home to one of the nation’s greatest concentrations of Indians.

In Los Angeles alone, said Apodaca, there are about 50,000 Indians--more than any other city. And Orange County, with an Indian population of more than 12,000, is home to more American Indians than half the states in the nation.

However, the tribes indigenous to Southern California will be playing only a minor role in the Orange County powwow, said Apodaca. While the tribes of Southern California “represent one of the oldest incursions of people we now call Indians,” the powwow has not been a part of their tradition, he said.

The principal tribes of Southern California, said Apodaca, are the Juanenos from south Orange County, the Gabrielinos from the north part of Orange County, the Cahuillas from the Banning-Palm Springs area, the Chumash from northern Los Angeles County, the Kumayay near San Diego, the Chemehuevi near the Colorado River and the Cupa near Oceanside. Most of the Indians at this weekend’s powwow will represent tribes from other parts of the country, even though they may now live locally, said Apodaca.

“You can think of them in the same way you think of the French and the Italians, for instance,” said Apodaca. “They’re all Caucasians, but they’re from different cultures. It’s the same with the different tribes.”

About 100 tribes are expected to be represented, said Castillo. “People come from all over the country, people you may see only once a year,” he said. “You establish a lot of good friendships. It’s a kind of interpersonal and spiritual renaissance. You’re recharging your cultural batteries.”

That voltage takes several forms; the most spectacular are the dances performed in the ceremonial ring, said Castillo. Nearly 400 dancers in traditional dress are expected to perform over the three days. Cash prizes will be awarded in the fancy war dance, grass dance, northern traditional dance, straight dance and other categories.

Perhaps the most colorful moment of the weekend comes the first day as the opening parade of dancers enters the ceremonial ring. “They just keep coming in, all dressed in their regalia,” Castillo said. “It’s just a growing number of people dancing around the drum. I get goose bumps just thinking about it.”

The dancing is accompanied by singing around the drum, and anyone who feels qualified to join in is invited to do so.

Handmade jewelry, crafts and art will be on sale at nearly 70 booths, said Castillo, as well as traditional food such as fry bread.

Powwow cultural chairman Art Ketcheshawno, a Kickapoo, said he expects the event to attract 15,000 to 20,000 people.

The popularity of such gatherings shows there is a thirst among many American Indians, particularly the young, for knowledge of their heritage, Castillo said.

“Our young people want to learn,” he said. “Their hearts are empty inside because they need our traditions. . . .

“There’s such a large spectrum of Indian people. Some don’t know anything about their culture. (But) there’s a renaissance among Indian people today. They want to know the old ways of doing things, they want to go back and talk with their elders.”

Many Indians find that the powwow is one way of balancing a life that has become more and more urbanized, Castillo said.

“(The city) is a dog-eat-dog environment,” he said. “It perpetuates competition. But our traditional values are cooperation, not competition. . . . It’s a delicate balance.”

The powwow also helps debunk myths about Indians. “Hollywood didn’t do us any favors,” said Castillo. “You were either the noble savage or the drunken Indian. We’re trying to show people that these stereotypes aren’t true.”

Such consciousness-raising actually demands a knowledge of powwow etiquette on the part of non-Indians. The rules are simple, but important.

* Only those who have been initiated into powwow dancing are allowed to dance in the arena. The inner ring closest to the dance area is reserved for the dancers; observers should sit beyond that area. (Apodaca suggests visitors bring folding chairs.)

* With the exception of official ceremony participants, no one is permitted to walk across the ceremonial area. It has been blessed and is considered sacred ground.

“The most important thing,” said Castillo, “is for people to have respect, to keep an open mind and just enjoy being there. Hopefully, with an open heart and mind, you’ll be able to feel the energy. . . . To us, this is a very spiritual thing.”

The powwow will be held at the Orange County Fairgrounds, 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. Hours: Friday, 7-10 p.m.; Saturday, 1-10 p.m.; Sunday, 1-6 p.m. Open to the public. Admission free. Information: (714) 530-0221.