One of the largest draws of public crowds visiting Putnam County from out of town is turning 17 years old in this the year of 2017. Heralding the 17th Annual Daniel Nimham Intertribal Powwow is the fitting slogan, “Everybody PowWows.” Explaining the popularity and huge draw of the powwows across the U.S. is Jamie K. Oxendine, of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina. Native American Liaison and Education Consultant for Ohio University in Athens. Ohio, and three time NAMMY (Native American Music Award) nominee, Oxendine reveals the very origin of the term “powwow” (on www.powwows.com) may hold the secret to the sheer numbers of folks who attend.:
The modern day powwow evolved from the Grass Dance Societies that formed in the early 19th Century. … The Grass Dance Societies were an opportunity for the warriors to re-enact deeds for all the members of the Tribe to witness.
The removal period increased the growth of the reservations and this soon gave rise to the modern powwow. This transition for Native Americans often put Tribes at odds with other Tribes they did not know and many Tribes that were bitter enemies found themselves very close neighbors. A compromise and compilation of traditions had to take place in order for the people to survive.
Many ceremonies and customs were outlawed during the reservation period. The Grass Dance being more social was one of the only events allowed. As so many Tribes were pushed together it was soon clear and necessary to transfer the traditions of the Grass Dance between Tribes. “Inter-Tribalism” began to emerge with the sharing of songs, dances, clothing, food and art. Gift giving and generosity became integral aspects of these early festivities and they are still with us today. Over time the phrase “Powwow” as a term for meeting or gathering became very popular and has been used widely to describe the cultural event since the mid 20th Century.
Gil Crying Hawk Tarbox, of the Nimham PowWow founding organization The Nimham Mountain Singers and himself a veteran serving during the Vietnam War with the Army Corps of Engineers, reminds the crowds gathered at the arbor circle every year for the dancers’ Grand Entry that powwows have always honored veterans and families and community. The returning warriors could tell their stories, dance them, and even be renamed if they chose when they came home from war. It was a healing get together of tribes, families, friends, relatives, and visitors. The 17th Annual Daniel Nimham Intertribal PowWow continues the tradition of honoring our veterans with community song, dance, food, meeting while introducing crowds of visitors every year to the celebration. Honoring specifically the Sachem (the chief) Daniel Nimham of the Wappingers who lived here in the Hudson Valley originally, and who chose to fight and die in the Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonists, what locals fondly call the Nimham PowWow kicks up its heels again August 19 and 20th in the upper section of the Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park, on Gipsy Trail Road in Kent (Carmel) NY.
Always exciting, always colorful, always great food smells blanketing the pavilion area, the 17th Annual Nimham PowWow promises to be just as fantastically fun as the past 16 years. A special tribute will be held to NAMMY flutist Joseph FireCrow. New this year are Saturday 7pm Movies In The Big Barn for a dollar, and always Birds Who Hunt packs the picnic benches, bleachers, and shaded seats around the arbor circle. Native foods, Native American dancing including a hoop dancer, vendors, art, crafts, books, herbs, music, storytelling, tipis, children’s programs, pony rides, a bouncy house, organizations’ info tables, and our favorite Mike Bennett and WHUD’s Prize Wheel all compete for your attention in 2 days of non-stop adventure. Admission and parking is free with donations gladly accepted, as the Nimham PowWow benefits the following veteran support groups this year: Semper Fi Odyssey – a transitional wholistic program for all military branches’ wounded or ill discharging veterans; HOMH: Honoring Our Military Heroes which buys and outfits special vans for disabled veterans, Final Salute which gets homes for homeless women veterans, and Service Dog Project which trains great danes as service dogs for veterans.
Join Nimham PowWow hosts The Nimham Mountain Singers and co-hosts Red Storm Drum and Dance Troupe, along with attendees from Canada to Georgia, Maine to Ohio, this Saturday and Sunday August 19 and 20th 10am to 6pm (Sat. Movies at 7pm) at the Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park in Kent (Carmel), NY. Partial funding for the PowWow comes from the Putnam Arts Council’s Arts Link Grant Program with funds from NYS Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo, the NYS Legislature, and “I Love NY.” Thanks to H. G. Fairfield Arts’ sponsorship and countless other small acts of community kindness and sponsorship, the 17th Annual Daniel Nimham Intertribal PowWow is ready to wow the crowds as always. For more information contact Gil Tarbox at 845-225-8154 or visit www.nimham.com.