Review by Booklist Review
Learn the background, importance, and variations of powwow dances through the personal history of an Anishinaabe powwow dancer. Growing up as an urban Indigenous person, Pheasant-Neganigwane spent summers with her extended family on their reserve. This offered a connection to traditional dances and thus to her Anishinaabe culture. She details how powwow dance serves as a reconnection and a reconciliation that allows cultural traditions to be integrated into contemporary life, bridging the divide caused by Indian residential schools and other harmful assimilation policies. Powwow culture is described in detail, both historically and with a present day etiquette guide. The balance of information on colonial practices that endangered Indigenous cultures and the thriving cultures today allows for history and hope to co-exist. The heart of this nonfiction text is best said in the author's own words, "the songs and dances and stories shared at powwows are not just about identity and culture. Powwows also help to restore our families and kinship systems." This informative, accessible text is accompanied by an abundance of color photographs from powwows. Recipes and sidebar facts are present throughout the chapters. A comprehensive glossary, additional resources, and index complete the back matter. A vibrant, informative introduction to North American Indigenous powwows that empowers readers--Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike--to attend and participate in powwows.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up--Pheasant-Neganigwane, a lifelong Anishinaabe competitive powwow dancer and educator, summarizes the basics of powwow culture through a series of sections highlighting its origins, current elements, songs and dances, and regional differences across Canada and the United States. The author clearly explains the origins of the powwow within colonization, as well as its evolution and growing popularity. Sidebars describe different elements of the powwow, supplementing the main text, while other pullout sections provide directions for popular First Nations recipes. A range of high-quality, black-and-white photographs from different powwows also supplement the text. A glossary and an index are included in the back matter. The book is clearly organized and educational--an incredibly useful tool for both school and public libraries. Readers will enjoy learning about current powwows as well as their rich history within Indigenous culture. VERDICT This comprehensive primer of the history and importance of the powwow in North American Indigenous culture is a necessary purchase.--Kelsey Socha, Springfield City Library, MA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The modern powwow has been uniting Indigenous peoples in joyous celebration of culture for decades, but its roots are far older.Anishninaabe author and educator Pheasant-Neganigwane has crafted a narrative that tells the history of the powwow, a celebration of Indigenous culture that occurs throughout North America. She describes the history of colonization and Indigenous resistance that culminated in the 19th centurya time when song and dance gatherings also were restricted by both the governments of Canada and the U.S. Holding steadfast to traditional culture and expressing it in the unlikeliest of placesthe so-called "wild west shows" and harvest fairsIndigenous peoples gradually developed these gatherings of song and dance into what are now vibrant celebrations that occur across the continent all year long. The powwow includes many aspects of Indigenous culture: rodeos, fashion shows, and even music awards. The gallery of photos throughout the book gives readers seats at a powwow, an event that is described as a continual space to restore kinship and preserve Indigenous identity. Weaving her own powwow experiences into her narrative, the author describes the formal elements of a powwow as well as regional variations. Sidebars look at related topics such as fry bread and victory songs, and the book ends with a brief primer of powwow etiquette and glossary of cultural vocabulary.An enriching, information-rich resource that centers an Indigenous perspective. (resources) (Nonfiction. 8-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
