KAPA‘A — The Kaua‘i Pow Wow Council will host its 11th annual Pow Wow, Sept. 26-28, at Kapa’a Beach Park. Everyone is invited to this free event featuring American Indian dancing, drumming, singing, arts and crafts, silent auction and fry
KAPA‘A — The Kaua‘i Pow Wow Council will host its 11th annual Pow Wow, Sept. 26-28, at Kapa’a Beach Park.
Everyone is invited to this free event featuring American Indian dancing, drumming, singing, arts and crafts, silent auction and fry bread, a news release states.
The importance of the drum in American Indian cultures is legendary. Creation stories, spiritual beliefs, traditions, oral history, dancing and singing are all passed down from generation to generation through the use of the drum, the press release says.
There are more than 500 federally and some 350 state-recognized tribes in the nation. Hawai‘i has a significant American Indian population of more than 25,000 individuals, according to the 2000 census.
There are three pow wows a year in the islands, attracting thousands of visitors to these cultural programs.
First Nations and American Indians come from Canada, Central and South America, and the Mainland to participate in the celebrations.
The drum is known amongst tribal nations as “the heartbeat of Mother Earth” and is often regarded as the “lifeblood of our people,” the release states.
To maximize the public’s appreciation of American Indian traditions, the council is offering an educational outreach program for children at Lydgate Park pavilion, from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Sept. 26, followed later that day with arts and crafts opening at 4 p.m. and an inter-cultural, inter-tribal indigenous drum gathering at 6 p.m. at Kapa’a Beach Park.
Illima Rivera’s Hula Halau will present Hawaiian and Tahitian cultural dances, followed by inter-tribal drumming.
Fry bread will be offered at a food booth and vendors will sell handmade indigenous jewelry, drums, flutes, dream catchers and carvings.
For more information, visit www.kauiapowwow.com.
