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Fifth annual powwow a learning experience
Published July 1, 2009
WALNUT GROVE — The fifth annual “We are All Related” Native American Powwow took place over the weekend at the Whippoorwill Hollow Farm, giving local residents the opportunity to learn more about the Native American culture. Organizers also took the opportunity to explain the purpose of the farm and the importance of growing organic and local crops.
Like other events hosted by the farm, the powwow is set up to educate the public.
“Our farm is educational,” said Hilda Byrd, owner of Whippoorwill Hollow Farm. “So this goes right along with what we are trying to do. I think it is important for them to tell their heritage.
“We should learn more about how they cherished things and let their heritage go on.”
Since a lot of the state was once home to Native Americans, some feel it is crucial that locals support events like the Native American Powwow.
“This whole state was the Creek’s or Cherokee’s,” said Janet Smith, of Ashland, Ala. “Therefore this is a moral obligation to them.
“Since there are no reservations nearby, this becomes the Native American community and it keeps their culture alive.”
Smith realizes the Native American culture is just one of many in this country, and to lose it, she admits, would be a huge loss.
“We owe it to our ancestors,” Smith said. “It is extremely important. This land was built around diverse cultures, and the Native Americans contributed a lot.”
While the Native Americans use powwows to educate the public, they also use them to come together and spend time with family and friends.
“This is a family powwow,” said Gary Smith, of Ashland, Ala. “The family ones reunite with family and become social gatherings.”
The event attracts many people from all over the country serving as an educational experience, as well as a fund-raiser for people with diabetes.
“We have many people come each year,” Byrd said. “And all the proceeds go to a diabetic.”
According to the Diabetes Association, Native Americans are two to three times more likely to have diabetes and in some populations as much as 50 percent of a tribe may have Type II diabetes.
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