Shinnecock Powwow at 80: Celebrate tribal culture in Southampton

As the summer comes to a close, one stalwart tradition always remains. For the past 80 years, the Shinnecock Indian Powwow has been held in Southampton. The four-day event, which takes place Sept. 4-7, typically draws more than10,000 spectators per day and 50-plus tribes stemming from all over North America participate.

"The powwow is a celebration of our culture," co-master of ceremonies Charles K. Smith II says. "We want everyone to realize that Shinnecock Nation is still here from 1640. Our spiritual and cultural connections to this land and water remain strong."

The Shinnecock Powwow is one of the largest on the Powwow Trail, which includes Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods and Bear Mountain. It takes place on the powwow grounds in the center of the Shinnecock Nation reservation, which spans close to 1,000 acres.

"This is a homecoming that serves almost like a family reunion for the whole tribe," entertainment chair Susan Soto says. "It’s an emotional feeling, especially when tribal members come back after not being here for a while. They get overjoyed seeing people they haven’t seen in years."

Some of the tribes attending the powwow this year include the Seminole from Florida, Cherokee from North Carolina, Ojibwe from Minnesota, Sioux from North and South Dakota, Narragansett from Rhode Island, Mashpee Wampanoag from Massachusetts and Cree from Canada.

POWWOW ORIGIN

The powwow began as a pageant with a re-enactment of when the Shinnecock tribe first met the European explorers. The event started small and turned into a Shinnecock celebration that grew bigger every year.

"When Southampton was first colonized back in 1640. The Europeans left Massachusetts and sailed to find this island," Smith says. "They were trying to locate New York City, but they got lost and wound up in Conscience Point, where they met the first Shinnecock tribe. They colonized Southampton, making it the first European settlement in New York."

DANCE AND DRUM COMPETITIONS

The main spectacle of the weekend is the tribal dance competitions that take place on Sept. 5  and 6 with runoffs for ties on Sept. 7.  The warmups are on Sept. 4. There are more than 10 categories in five age groups: (Tiny Tots, 5 and younger, followed by ages 6-12, 13-17, 18-49 and Golden Age, 50 and over). Each dance lasts six to eight minutes.

Here are some of the traditional dances to look out for.

Blanket dance

This is a courtship dance performed by women using blankets that developed on the East Coast.

"It’s the way that a woman might be enticing someone she might be attracted to," co-master of ceremonies Keith Colston says. "At the end of the song, the woman lays a blanket in front of them hoping it gets picked up by that individual and placed around both of them, signifying that they are together."

Eastern war dance

This is a healing dance for men who fought in war.

"The dancing helps rejuvenate their spirits after coming back from battle," Smith says. "It expresses the things they witnessed on the battlefields."

Fancy shawl dance

This woman-driven dance using shawls is the most contemporary one, stemming from 1950s North Dakota.

"The movements represent butterflies or birds," Smith says. "The tempo is faster than most traditional dances."

Smoke dance

Originating with the Iroquois Nation, this is a ceremonial dance that is fast-paced with a lot of stomping.

"There’s no fire involved," Colston says. "However, they dance so fast they make the dust appear like smoke."

Drum competitions are run in between the dances. Each group is judged on their style, song performance, the beat and its singers. All main drumming is done by men around a large communal drum holding four to 12 players while the singers sometimes play individual drums.

"Drums are valued because they are the heartbeat of our nation," Smith says. "Without the drums, we don’t have our powwow."

AUDIENCE DANCES AND LIVE PERFORMANCES

During the dinner break there will be a dedicated hour for audience participation where the crowd can participate in the dancing.

Social dances include the round dance, where everyone holds hands and moves about in a circle, the stomp dance, which involves following the leader copying whatever they do, and the rabbit dance for couples.

In addition to the dance competitions, there will be an array of live performances from The Kalpulli Huehuetlahtolli Aztec Dancers, contemporary singers Josie Tarrant and Matt Hunter, plus Polynesian dancers from the Hawaiian dance troupe Ohana Mokuloa.

NATIVE AMERICAN MENU

Part of the experience of attending the powwow is tasting the Native American foods prepared by the tribes. There are many traditional dishes to help expand any palate.

Indian fry bread is made with flour, then pounded out and fried in a pan. Tribes serve it with berries on top or plain with powdered sugar.

Try an Indian taco, which consists of fry bread filled with ground beef or turkey, lettuce, tomato, sour cream and cheese.

Succotash is a soup with corn and cranberry beans and sometimes pork.

Meat lovers will enjoy venison (deer meat) served in a hash, sausage or a patty, a Buffalo burger or alligator grilled on a stick.

"They are all very nutritious with very little fat," Colston says. "This is one of the best things you can eat."

Fish fans can dig into some grilled bluefish with wild rice and mixed vegetables.

Sip some sassafras tea made from the roots of a sassafras tree; it tastes like iced tea, but sweeter. Blueberry lemonade will also be available.

A popular dessert is the Blueberry Duff, featuring baked blueberries on top of bread with whipped cream.

VENDORS MARKET

Go shopping in a market of over 100 artisan vendors containing silversmiths, leather workers, painters and more. Everything is handmade by members of each tribe.

For sale will be pillows, ponchos, blankets, towels and T-shirts all containing native designs, and jewelry made with turquoise and wampum — the purple part of the clamshell — plus men's and women’s clothing with hand-sewn beadwork and feathers.

SHINNECOCK STRONG

While this event occurs every year, the Shinnecock Nation is soaking in the moment of this anniversary and not taking anything for granted.

"People find it fascinating that we are still here and remain strong among all this wealth. We maintain our land base. It’s our responsibility to take care of it, defend it and make sure that it’s not desecrated," Smith says. "Our culture will continue because we will always be here. They tried to eliminate us, but we still stand strong."