As we walked towards the park, we heard the continual ‘thud! thud! thud!’ of the medicine drum, and the shrill sound of Native American voices rising above the noise of the Kapaa traffic. An incredible experience of culture and color awaited us at the 16th annual Kauai Powwow, an event which transforms Kapaa Beach Park into a feast of festivities and brings Kapaa alive with a unique burst of energy and cultural vitality.
As we walked inside the gate and towards the gathering, the sight of the colorful and decorative regalia, which is the name of the traditional dress worn by Native American people, was breathtaking. People from many tribes across the United States gather during a powwow to perform traditional dances, educate people about traditional ways, and to create a fun and joyful environment for people from all walks of life to experience Native American culture first hand.
It is so wonderful to see how fresh and alive Native American culture is, and the traditional regalia and dances are being preserved for future generations. It is nothing short of mind-blowing to sit and watch the dances take place. The people are so very strong and proud, regal in their stature and rightly so: their culture is one to be proud of, they have withstood the test of centuries of repression, and it is only nowadays that Native American culture is not only more widely accepted, but cherished and celebrated by the people themselves as well as society.
For many indigenous cultures, dances are an integral part of the traditional ways. It is through the dance and the drum that people connect to their spirituality. In the Native American culture, dancing is a way to uplift the spirit, to connect with the earth, with Great Spirit, and animal totems or ancestors. It is a way that people remember who they are, and that everything in nature is connected. It is no wonder that our western society can lack that feeling of connectedness, because we are often far removed from ritual or sacred movement that connects the mind body and soul with the earth.