ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, July 29, 1996 TAG: 9607290071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
INDIANS THROUGHOUT the U.S. met last weekend to dance, drum and sell their wares, all in celebration of their heritage at the Rising Water/Falling Water Pow-Wow in Richmond.
There are very few of them left, but this weekend, the remnants of the people who used to rule America gathered in Richmond to celebrate and preserve their heritage.
Indian tribes from throughout Virginia and the United States met for the annual Rising Water/Falling Water Pow-Wow.
``It's so easy to lose sight of your heritage,'' said Nokomis Lemons, an organizer of the event. ``There's a very strong front right now that is trying to prevent that from happening.''
Named for the water of the Rappahannock River, the powwow was started five years ago to educate the public on the often misunderstood culture of the Indians, Lemons said.
``It's a gathering of the people to socialize together in music, in conversation and in dancing.''
The powwow featured a dance competition, drumming demonstrations and 28 vendors selling Indian icons - from fry bread, a traditional Indian treat, to drums and jewelry.
About 200 people gathered Saturday to watch as the 85 dancers in the competition made their grand entry.
Each category of dance has a distinctive style, from the slow, deliberate steps of the traditional female dancers to the exuberant gyrations of the male war dancers.
There is a story behind each dance.
As nurturers, the women must keep their feet close to the earth during their dance to massage it and to coax it to grow.
The men's war dance is an athletic exercise performed by the younger members of a tribe to establish a pecking order and to single out the best and bravest male.
``You have to be kind of a showoff to do the war dance,'' said J.D. Moore, 25, one of the war dancers.
Moore, a Buckhead, N.C., resident and member of the Waccamaw Siouan tribe, said he has been dancing since he was 10.
``Some kids play football, some kids play basketball. I dance.''
In keeping with tradition, Moore was dressed in bright yellows and blues and reds. His outfit was studded with elaborate bead work, and he wore a large bustle of eagle feathers.
``If you're going to prove that you're the biggest and strongest warrior, you have to be a little flashy,'' he said.
The dancers were competing for a top prize of $500. But most said the money is a secondary consideration. They dance because they love dancing, or, like Robert Tucker, they dance to remember their ancestors. Tucker, who teaches Spanish in Allegheny County, dressed in the traditional regalia of the Mandan, a tribe from the Dakotas that was largely wiped out by smallpox.
``I dance in honor of those who never made it to this generation,'' he said.
Tucker resembled an imposing bird of prey with his face streaked in black and white paint and an elaborate headdress made from more than 1,500 feathers atop his head.
Dressed for the men's traditional competition, he wore a beaded buckskin outfit that bore the motif of the sacred circle, a traditional Indian icon.
A member of the Eastern band of the Cherokee tribe, Tucker, 39, has been dancing for 21 years.
``There's something about the drums,'' he said. ``It's almost hypnotic. As soon as you begin to hear those drums, you begin to feel the problems of the week slip away.''
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB