Bozeman Public Schools Indian Education for All

Name of Lesson: Pow Wows Subject Area Focus: Music Grade Level: 7-8 Prepared by: Hollie Sexton

*Overview Discuss basic tradition and history of Pow Wows and the importance of Pow & Purpose/ Wows to the American Indian culture then and now. Also discuss what you might Essential see at a Pow Wow and the guidelines the musicians and dancers have to follow. Questions (see Accompanied by drumming and singing students will then perform a traditional UbD handout) American Indian women and men dance. How do Pow Wows keep Indian traditions alive and why is that important? What about this tradition makes Native American tribes unique/different to other cultures and their traditions? *Materials * Your Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Pow Wows * Song “O Hal Lwe” from Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education * Hand drums/Gathering drums/Rattles * Dvd- Moving Within The Circle (Most materials may be found in the Indian Education Music Trunk)

*Time Required 1 hour and 30 minutes *IEFA Essential 1: There is great diversity among the 12 tribal nations of Montana in their Understanding(s) language, cultures, histories and governments. Each Nation has a distinct and unique cultural heritage that contributes to modern Montana. 3: the ideologies of Native traditional beliefs and spirituality persist into modern day life as trivial cultures, traditions, and languages are still practiced by many American Indian people and are incorporated into how tribes govern and manage their affairs.

*MT State National Standards for Music Education standard 1: Singing, alone and with Content others, a varied repertoire of music. Standard(s) Standard 2: Performing on instruments alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. Standard 7: Evaluating music and music performances Standard 8: Understanding relationships between music, the other arts and disciplines outside the arts. Standard 9: Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

*Background **1. Understanding of Pow-Wows Information 2. Knowledge of Men/Women traditional dance steps.

Bozeman Public Schools Adapted from Georgia Department of Education December 2007 page 1 *Primary Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of traditional Pow Wows, Learner Results Complete a women and men dance as well as perform a traditional American Indian vocable song. Additional Students should also be able to drum along with dancers in tempo on a hand Learner Results drum/gathering drum. Technology DVD viewing of Pow-Wows in “Moving Within The Circle” Connection *Procedures Step 1 Pow-Wow characteristics/Guidelines Description • Discuss prior knowledge of the song “O Hal ‘Lwe” (From Previous Vocable Lesson). Sing through song once or twice as a class. Review vocables of the song and the Call and Response structure. • Explain the history of Pow-Wows as well as discuss the characteristics and guidelines of the Pow-Wow. (Use: Your Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Pow Wows) • Explain what you might see if you attended a Pow-Wow. Including dress, drums, singing, and food. Duration 10 minutes Step 2 Women and Men dances in Pow- Wow Description * Show DVD –“Moving Within the Circle” of pow wows and traditional Indian dance. * Discuss video- Use the Essential questions from above to guide discussion. * Each female student will learn a women’s traditional dance step and the women’s stance. Females dance steps are small and their upper portion of their bodies are stationary as their feet shuffle in an up and down motion. * Each male will learn a men’s traditional dance step and the correct stance for the dance. The traditional step is done with the ball of the 1 foot touching the ground on beat 1 and the whole foot on beat 2. The men stance mimics that of a warrior. * Sing “O Hal Lwe” while each student dances the steps in a circle. Duration 1 hour Step 3 Applying drums and song to dances Description • Add a group of students on the gathering drum and hand drums. Keep a steady down beat. Emphasizing the importance of the drum pattern and how it should not change. • The drummers should then also sing “O Hal ‘Lwe” as they drum while the other students dance. • Students should change dance steps according to the Call and Response change in the song. Duration 10 minutes Step 4 Description * Students will assess each other by having 3-4 students act as judges. The students will rate the other students on their feet and stance. * Rotate students so every student gets a chance to drum, sing, dance and judge.

Duration 10 minutes Extension Students can then attend a local pow wow. Bozeman Public Schools Adapted from Georgia Department of Education December 2007 page 2 Assessment • Students are assessing each other and demonstrating their knowledge of drumming, singing, and dancing according to the Pow Wow guidelines. • Teacher assesses performance of the traditional pow wow dance Resources • Book and CD: Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education. (1996). Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference. • McCluskey, Murton. (2007) “Your Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Pow Wows.Montana: Office Of Public Instruction • Book, CD and DVD: Burton, Bryan.(1993). Moving Within the Circle, Danbury CT: World Music Press.

POW WOW LESSON

“A Pow Wow is a gathering Where Native American dancing, singing and celebration take place.”( Your Guide To Understanding and Enjoying Pow Wows, Pg. 2.) Pow Wows are still very important in the lives of Native American people and can be a great way to expose people of any culture to the Indian culture. A Pow Wow includes events that include dancing and singing contests, “give aways,” food and other cultural activities. When teaching students the dance stance it is important to have them understand the respect that goes into these dances and the importance of the dance to the Native American culture. The way the stance is for the women and the men is very important. There are many types of men and women dances but the two taught in this lesson are the two easier stances for students to accomplish. The women dance is that of the Round Dance. The students should take very small steps and move around the circle facing in and moving with the beat of the drum. The men dance is that of a warrior. He should bend at his waist and keep his head up and looking around. His arms should mimic that of having a shield in one arm. The ball of one foot should come down on beat 1 and the heel come down on beat 2. The singing has meaning and the drum has an importance. When having the students judge the dance portion I suggest rating from 1-3, 1 being the highest and 3 being the lowest. Instruct the student dancers and judges that they will be judged on these three criteria: 1) Footwork accuracy 2) Keeping in time with the beat 3) Quality of dancing-Enthusiasm After the judging/dancing the teacher should pick one or two student judges to share some positive feedback they saw from the group as a while as well as a couple of aspects that the group could have improved. I never have the students give exact names of a student, they are only to speak to the group as a whole. The drum beat is how the dancers know what kind of dance they are performing. The Rhythm in the drum dictates the dance, not the words. For example the round dance has a distinctive beat that is only used when dancing a round dance and matches the rhythm the feet should be moving in. The round dance rhythm is that very similar to a heart beat. You can also just keep a steady down beat if students are struggling. When students are drumming it is very important they keep the correct rhythm and that it never changes. Before dancing the students should already have previous knowledge of the song “O Hal ‘Lwe” as well as the “Call and Response” structure of the song. When adding the dance movements to the song they should change steps according to the Call and Response change. I suggest just having the students change their direction according to the form.

Bozeman Public Schools Adapted from Georgia Department of Education December 2007 page 3 You may also have groups of students play the song on recorder while there is drumming and dancing. I have done this just to add another layer. It is also important to point out to the students the importance of the circle to Native Americans. Usually the drum, the audience, and the judges form one circle while the concessions and the encampment form another circle and the dancers dance in the middle. This is symbolic of the life cycle. The Pow Wow is meant to bring the circle of people closer to their family, friends and their Culture. In the video “Moving Within The Circle” They discuss this in the first chapter. It depicts a very good picture of what it is like to be at a Pow Wow and has some very interesting on all the other types of singing and dancing. This idea of a circle can be compared to many other cultures. “There are no spectators at a Pow Wow. Everyone is considered a participant, even if you don’t do anything but lend your presence. Everyone has a Place in teh circle of people.” (Your Guide To Understanding and Enjoying Pow Wows, Pg. 2)

Bozeman Public Schools Adapted from Georgia Department of Education December 2007 page 4