Harvest Pow Wow provides lessons in Native American culture

Participating in Native American powwows is part of Melanie Minafore's life - so much so she planned her wedding around one.

"We made sure we were able to attend the Harvest Pow Wow and that it didn't conflict with anything," said the Schaumburg resident, who got married last weekend.

On Saturday at Naper Settlement in Naperville, the annual gathering will mark its 16th year with all the dancing, drumming, crafts, artwork and food Minafore, a member of the Arikara tribe, along with hundreds of members of other tribes have grown to love.

"It makes your heart feel good," Minafore said. "You get all wrapped up in it."

Midwest SOARRING, which stands for Save Our Ancestors Remains & Resources Indigenous Network Group, hosts the Harvest Pow Wow each year in an effort to educate people unfamiliar with Native American culture and to bring Indians together from across the country.

"A powwow is a gathering of all nations, all people coming together for the same purpose," said Shawndra Campbell, a South Elgin resident who serves as a board member of Midwest SOARRING. "It's a social event, it's a good place to rekindle relationships with old friends and meet new friends, and it's just a really good time for everyone involved."

There will be plenty of activities for guests to participate in from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, but only if there is the constant presence of a particular instrument: the drums.

"You can never really have a powwow unless, of course, you have a drum," said Campbell, who is also a jingle dress dancer. "The drum is the heartbeat of the people and that's what brings us all together."

Campbell's 13-year-old and 15-year-old daughters, both fancy shawl dancers, will be just two of the dozens of performers expected to attend from numerous states and tribes. Dancers will make a grand entrance at 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Native Americans won't be the only ones in on the fun.

"If you're a spectator you are allowed to come into the circle and actually participate and partake in everything that is going on during an intertribal," Campbell said.

Other highlights this year include Al Jewer playing native flute; singer Mark Jourdan, who will perform at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday; and presentations featuring a bald eagle from noon to 5 p.m. each day by Save Our American Raptors, an organization dedicated to the conservation of native birds of prey.

A special kids corner will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days for children to make crafts, and visitors of all ages can try Native American food such as Indian tacos and squash soup. There will be more than 30 vendors selling Native American crafts, from jewelry to blankets.

Jody Ellyne, marketing manager at Naper Settlement, said the Harvest Pow Wow is a "fabulous event" because of its connection with the area where it's held.

"This was the land of the Potawotomi Indians," she said. "There's a lot of history here."

She said Joseph Naper, who founded Naperville, established a trading post where he exchanged goods such as tools for furs and meats with Native Americans in the 1800s, making the location for the powwow even more significant.

"Bringing (their culture) to life at a place like Naper Settlement is a creative and inspiring way to connect the past with the present and to educate everyone," she said.

Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, president and founder of Midwest SOARRING, said he is expecting about 5,000 people to come out and hopes, like Ellyne, that everyone leaves knowing more about Native American culture.

"I feel, and my organization feels, we have to teach about good values and we have to teach about how to take care of the Earth while we still have an Earth that is worth taking care of," he said. "I think you'll come away with a better understanding not only of our people, but of the world."

Campbell believes the event serves as a good learning experience for Native American children, too.

"I think, especially for the younger kids, the powwows are a great place to begin to let them know and tell them that, 'You have a place to belong. This is who you are and be true to yourself,'" she said.

She added that she thinks the gatherings "keep our traditions going" because there are no Indian reservations in Illinois for them to be carried out in a communal form.

Still, Midwest SOARRING is constantly working on creating more permanent resources, including a cultural center and headquarters for the organization that will open in October in Westchester.

Schranz said the group also owns a herd of 29 bison in Le Roy, Ill., which he hopes to move into a planned cultural village, where visitors can attend immersion classes and campouts to understand "what it's like to be native."

Some of the profits from the Harvest Pow Wow - which will be held rain or shine - will be used to help with such projects.

But for Minafore and many others, the powwow will simply be a colorful and vibrant weekend for people of all backgrounds to enjoy.

"It will give them a taste of something that people think is just in museums and history books and to get a taste of what the culture is all about," she said.

<p class="factboxheadblack">If you go</p>

<p class="News"><b>What:</b> Midwest SOARRING's Harvest Pow Wow</p>

<p class="News"><b>When:</b> 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 26</p>

<p class="News"><b>Where:</b> Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville</p>

<p class="News"><b>Cost:</b> $8 adults, $5 children and seniors; group discounts and weekend passes available</p>

<p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (773) 585-1744 or <a href="http://midwestsoarring.org" target="new">midwestsoarring.org</a></p>