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Collected Item: “Virtual Pow Wows - A result of Covid -19”

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Virtual Pow Wows - A result of Covid -19

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Story and image.

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Every year as a tradition Tribes of Native Americans gather to celebrate through song and dance at events known as Pow Wows. These events reinforce long-honored traditions, the most important being unification. The Pow wows allow for the togetherness of the people and the connectedness of the tribes. Covid -19 brought an abrupt halt to that for hundreds of indigenous tribes across the U.S and Canada. As a result, the only way to share some of these meaningful traditions was to offer a virtual option. While not the same it did allow for some of the singing and dancing competitions to take place. The long-term after effect though is that not having the in-person Pow Wow resulted in a significant loss of revenue for those tribes that were hosting the event. Pow Wows bring in significant revenue from vendors and non-indigenous spectators. This loss has had a trickle-down effect on the indigenous communities making it more difficult to endure the pandemic. As a parent of a Northeastern student, not having the ability to have my daughter physically share in the in-person powwows is disappointing. Pow wows are more than just celebrations they are an opportunity to connect with your identity and heritage-which is vital for the younger generations.

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#virtualpowwow , #pandemicpowwow

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https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/pandemic-powwows-try-to-get-back-to-normal

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Central Michigan University’s Celebrating Life Pow Wow opted for a virtual powwow for a second year for its March 20-21, 2021 event. Shown here, from left, are students and powwow committee members Zack Antoine-Jackson, Onyleen Zapata, Waskwane Stonefish, Ayebah Wilson, Cicilee Chivis, Summer Baldwin and Judy Webkamigad. (Photo courtesy of Central Michigan University Native American Programs)

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2020-09-14
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