Each of the many pow wow dances are described in detail with background information.

Travel the powwow trail with an Anishinaabe family, the Downwinds of Red Lake, as they gather with relatives and friends to lift up the traditions of their people through ceremonies and dances.

"True survival odysseys of two wilderness adventurers who entered the woods in search of tranquility-- but found something else entirely"--Page 4 of cover.

Philbert Bono and Buddy Red Bird are about to prove that the spirit of the great warriors is still alive and kicking. Their “war pony,” a burned-out, rusty 1964 Buick LeSabre, has left a trail of dust from Montana’s Lame Deer Reservation halfway down Interstate 25 as they take off to bail Buddy’s sister out of jail. The basis for the great movie of the same name, this quiet debut novel, first published in 1979, has become a classic of American Indian literature.

This anthology examines the origins, meanings, and enduring power of the powwow. Held on and off reservations, in rural and urban settings, powwows are an important vehicle for Native peoples to gather regularly. Although sometimes a paradoxical combination of both tribal and intertribal identities, they are a medium by which many groups maintain important practices. Powwow begins with an exploration of the history and significance of powwows, ranging from the Hochunk dances of the early twentieth century to present-day Southern Cheyenne gatherings to the contemporary powwow circuit of the northern plains. Contributors discuss the powwow?s performative and cultural dimensions, including emcees, song and dance, the expression of traditional values, and the Powwow Princess. The final section examines how powwow practices have been appropriated and transformed by Natives and non-Natives during the past few decades. Of special note is the use of powwows by Native communities in the eastern United States, by Germans, by gay and lesbian Natives, and by New Agers.

Drawing on his ethnographic research at powwow grounds and in recording studios, Christopher A. Scales examines the ways that powwow drum groups have utilized recording technology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the unique aesthetic principles of recorded powwow music, and the relationships between drum groups and the Native music labels and recording studios.