Pow Wow in Naperville 'keeping our beliefs alive'

For 22 years, the Midwest SOARRING Foundation has hosted a large pow wow filled with dancing, drumming, storytelling and arrowhead-making.

That's 22 years of preserving Native American culture, introducing it to others and passing along traditions, said Joseph Standing Bear Schranz, the SOARRING Foundation's president and founder.

The 23rd year of the Harvest Pow Wow tradition takes place this weekend and is set to run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24, at Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville.

"It's a way of keeping our beliefs alive," Schranz said.

The pow wow gathers Native Americans of various heritages from throughout the Midwest, and it grows each year, Schranz said. For native peoples, it's a gathering place, a point of pride and a chance to display clothing carefully made, food artfully prepared and dances practiced throughout the year.

For attendees from nonnative backgrounds, Schranz said the event is a vibrant and colorful learning opportunity to hear native songs and drums, see Aztec and Hawaiian dances and experience why many native people care so deeply about animals and the environment.

"We want our people to be proud of who they are," Schranz said. "And we want people to see who we are."

Throughout the two-day festival, things to do and see will be highlighted by three Grand Entry processions, which are "when all the pageantry starts," Schranz says, followed by ceremonial dances and honors for military veterans. The entries are scheduled for 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

One dance featured during the pow wow is a Little Tots Candy Dance at 3 p.m. each day. Another is called the blanket dance, in which organizers raise a cause to the attention of the crowd and gather donations on a blanket while a drummer plays. The blanket dance and admission charges - $12 for adults, $9 for seniors 62 and older and $7 for children 3 to 12 - help raise money for initiatives of the SOARRING Foundation, which stands for Save Our Ancestors Remains and Resources Indigenous Network Group.

Schranz said one such initiative has supported an orphanage in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, with propane for winter heating and supplies for a Halloween party.

"We're trying to bring a little brightness to their lives," he said.

Other features of this year's pow wow are a tepee with traditional furnishings, inside and out; an Apache mustang painted with geographic designs; guitar, flute and storytelling performances; an appearance by musician, actor and Keeseekoose tribe member Will Strongheart; and an eagle, hawks and owls brought by an organization called SOAR, or Save Our American Raptors.

Several more animal rights and environmental advocacy group are set to have a presence, including the Sierra Club and the Buffalo Field Campaign, which aims to protect wild bison and allow them to roam.

If you go

What: 23rd annual Harvest Pow Wow

When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24

Where: Naper Settlement, 523 S. Webster St., Naperville

Details: Hosted by the Midwest SOARRING Foundation, it features Native American dancing, music, traditional Grand Entry ceremonies, tepee displays, storytelling, arrowhead-making and food vendors.

Cost: $12 adults; $9 seniors 62 and older; $6 ages 3 to 12; free for younger children

Info: (708) 257-4300 or harvestpowwow.com