University of North Dakota UND Scholarly Commons Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects January 2015 Powwow As Spaces Of Public: Circulated Meanings Of A Native Practice For Non-Natives Joshua Eugene Young Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.und.edu/theses Recommended Citation Young, Joshua Eugene, "Powwow As Spaces Of Public: Circulated Meanings Of A Native Practice For Non-Natives" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 1855. https://commons.und.edu/theses/1855 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, and Senior Projects at UND Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UND Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. POWWOW AS SPACES OF PUBLIC: CIRCULATED MEANINGS OF A NATIVE PRACTICE FOR NON-NATIVES By Joshua Eugene Young Bachelor of Arts, Drake University, 2008 Master of Arts, University of Northern Iowa, 2011 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the University of North Dakota in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Grand Forks, North Dakota May 2015 Copyright 2015 Joshua E. Young ii This dissertation, submitted by Joshua E. Young in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy from the University of North Dakota, has been read by the Faculty Advisory Committee under whom the work has been done and is hereby approved. Kyle Conway Stephen Rendahl Timothy Pasch Ronald Greene Rebecca Weaver-Hightower This dissertation is being submitted by the appointed advisory committee as having met all of the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies at the University of North Dakota and is hereby approved. Wayne Swisher Dean of the School of Graduate Studies May 16, 2015 iii PERMISSION Title: Powwow as Spaces of Public: Circulated Meanings of a Native Practice for Non-Natives Department Communication and Public Discourse Degree Doctor of Philosophy In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a graduate degree from the University of North Dakota, I agree that the library of this University shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for extensive copying for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my dissertation work, or in his absence, by the Chairperson of the department or the dean of the School of Graduate Studies. It is understood that any copying or publication or other use of this dissertation or part thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and the University of North Dakota in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my dissertation. Joshua E. Young April 30, 2015 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……………………………….……………………………………..vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………...……………………………………………….vii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..…….ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………1 II. THEORETICAL FRAMERWORK………………………………………....45 III. FIGHTING WHO? THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA POWWOW…………………………………………………………………..71 IV. DANCING BOYS: THE ORDER OF THE ARROW POWWOW…….….105 V. HEALING THE SACRED HOOP: THE WHITE EAGLE POWWOW…..137 VI. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION……………………………………...162 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………173 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Tropological Exchange………………………………………………………………..67 2. Sioux Logo History……...……………………………………………………………75 3. Eagle Dance…………...……………………………………………………………..121 4. Founding Fathers Show.……………………………………………………………..135 5. Sacred Creature………..…………………………………………………………….145 6. Best Friends………………………………………………………………………….148 7. Round Dance…………..…………………………………………………………….149 8. Greek Dancers……………………………………………………………………….154 9. Japanese Dancer……….…………………………………………………………….155 10. Spanish Dancers……….…………………………………………………………...155 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the members of my advisory committee: Dr. Kyle Conway, Dr. Stephen Rendahl, Dr. Timothy Pasch, Dr. Ronald Greene, and Dr. Rebecca Weaver-Hightower. Their guidance and dedication made this project possible. I would also like to express my sincerest thanks to Dr. Brett Ommen who began as my adviser on this project. His influence on my scholarship and on my scholarly outlook cannot be understated. Thank you, as well, to past committee members Dr. Birgit Hans and Dr. Sebastian Braun for their input which greatly influenced the direction of my writing. Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to all of my fellow Communication and Public Discourse graduate students who supported me in all of my scholarly endeavors and shenanigans. I would especially be remiss if I did not thank Mr. David Potter for putting up with me through the good times and the bad times. vii To my grandfather, Harold Young. Thank you for your unending love and support. ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the status of the relationship between Natives and non- Natives utilizing powwow as the representative anecdote of the intercultural space of interaction between these two groups. Where most scholars ask how Native Americans use powwow to reclaim Native identity, I shift the focus to non-Natives, whose relationship to powwow has gone largely unexamined. I argue that powwow serves as a public space for staging diversity for non-Natives, a fact that has wide-ranging implications for Natives, too. Utilizing rhetorical theories of ritual communication and publicity as a way to interrogate this relationship, I argue that the publics attending to powwow for Natives and non-Natives legitimate, or confirm, each other. This is done through the metaphorical relationship between identity, authenticity, unity, and diversity. Through Lundberg’s and Lacan’s theory of rhetoric and publicity, one finds that the economy of tropes exchanged between the two groups buys legitimacy for each group, but often favors non-Native fantasies about Native identity. I explore three case studies to show how public theory through an economy of tropes is used as a methodological tool. The case studies represent three important ways non-Natives approach powwow. The first, a university sponsored powwow, is representative of academic endeavors to promote diversity and educational experiences. The second, powwow performed by members of the Boy Scouts of America, is representative of non-Native understandings of powwow from groups that are not ix inherently Native American. The third, a powwow hosted by a family and smaller community, are representative of family-based, non-competitive powwows. Each case study contains its own important tropes within their discourse economy. However, each case also adds to an understanding of powwow in general. In examining these case studies in relationship and against each other, one finds some important markers of the relational status between Natives and non-Natives. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION There continue to be important developments in identity politics when it comes to Native and non-Native relationships. These two particular groups have a long history of conflict and cooperation that dictate the contemporary relationship. Many non-Native Americans want to learn about Native cultures, but the concept of “Natives” they have contact with are a constructed notion in many instances. Instead, they are images constructed—paradoxically—by non-Natives. This has been true for me: I attended a high school with a Native mascot. I grew up watching Westerns with my grandfather, which typically had stories centering on Native Americans. I am a Boy Scout leader, an organization that draws upon non-Native constructed myths about Native Americans to teach boys how to be real men. I am a graduate student at the University of North Dakota, where issues of identity and Nativeness are continually at play, even after the retirement of the university’s former nickname and logo. One site where non-Natives encounter actual people, rather than images, would appear to be powwow. Where most scholars ask how Native Americans use powwow to reclaim Native identity, I shift the focus to non-Natives, whose relationship to powwow has gone largely unexamined. I argue that powwow serves as a public space for staging diversity for non-Natives, a fact that has wide-ranging implications for Natives, too. I utilize the term Native to refer to individuals that are ethnically native to North America. 1 In some cases, I also use this the term American Indian interchangeably, but it should be noted that there are some important distinctions between American Indian and Native groups. I use this term strategically because the demographic breakdown of these distinct groups in these case studies is not available, and I want be inclusive of a wide range of individuals that participate in the phenomenon known as powwow. This project looks at the way non-Natives understand powwow in general by looking at three specific powwows through the lens of psychoanalysis as understood by contemporary rhetorical theory. I argue that non-Natives understand powwow as fulfilling their perceived need to engage in diversity, a commonly circulated concept in contemporary society. Examining powwows at the University of North Dakota, the National Order of the Arrow Conference of the Boy Scouts of America, and the White Eagle Powwow of Des Moines, Iowa, I argue that these powwows circulate particular meanings for Natives and non-Natives