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Fredericksburg Inter-tribal Powwow
Fredericksburg, Texas
When: mid-May
Where: 1606 East Main
at Fort Martin Scott Historic Site
Every second weekend in May, the thunderous pounding
of a drum calls 150 tribal dancers from 10 nations to the grounds
of an historic Fredericksburg site for a three-day tribute to tradition.
In the shadow of Fort Martin Scott, today a museum alive with memories
of frontier life, participants gather to dance in the footsteps
of their ancestors as the public looks on.
Attractions: Sheep bells
dangling from the ankles of contestants ring rhythmically as performers
participate in the men's fancy dress competition. Men also pay homage
to their heritage with grass, traditional and straight dances. Women
move their feet to the beat in a series of cloth and buckskin dances
as well as the fancy shawl dance, in which imagination transforms
the fluttering fabric of the shawl into the delicate wings of a
butterfly, and the jingle dance, in which the sound of the snuff
can lids sewn on to a fringe-enhanced dress keeps dark forces at
bay. Young dancers also honor the ways of their forefathers as boys
and girls compete in the Junior division.
Children will enjoy a storyteller's tales of Native
American lore, while adults peruse for purchases at the many arts
and crafts booths.
For more information:
visit www.fredericksburgintertribalpowwow.org
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