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We enjoyed the entirety of the festival, including the parade, the competitive dancing, and the beautiful artwork offered for sale by many Native American vendors. There was also food for sale, including my favorite, Indian tacos. The festival is a great venue for learning about Native American culture and interacting in a positive way with Indian people.
We learned so much about Native American culture during the three-day festival. Everyone was welcoming and courteous. The dancers were the best I have seen in one venue.
This was the first major PowWow my wife and I have ever attended. We were absolutely "blown away" by thebeautiful regalia and talented dancing. Both of us love Classical Ballet, yet the footwork we saw the dancers at Red Earth perform rivaled anything we have ever seen in a ballet. The art exhibits were also amazing. All told, it was an awesomely beautiful experience.
It seems that the Red Earth is having difficulty deciding whether to be a tourist event, or a Pow Wow. They want the people to come, evidenced by their advertising. However, they also want to stay true to their culture (definitely understand this). The big but - tourists want to see the dancing, not all the "honoring" which is a definite part of the Pow Wow. For instance, on Sat. night - the only contest was the Fancy Feather Dancers (which was great, and very enjoyable). Heard other remarks along this same line. Tourists, of course, don't understand and a short explanation of the dances, such as grass, traditional, fancy feather, etc. prior to the contest would aid in the tourists understanding of the culture and meaning behind the dance. My spouse and I were raised in Oklahoma, so understood more than most; however, won't be going back & won't recommend to anyone else. Again - we do understand that the Pow Wow is for the Indian.
Red Earth in Oklahoma City is a true tribute to the American Indian and those of American Indian heritage. The festival faithfully and realistically shows the wonderful Indian dancers with their elaborate costumes, the great artistic abilities of the Indians with their arts and crafts, and the efforts they make to continue the Indian way of life and their heritage through story telling, music, and clothing. It is something anyone with an interest in the Indian culture or in American history needs to see. It was worth our eight hour round trip to see it.
