ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610140049
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
For fifth-grader Kyle Schrader, a day in the park was a chance to see a Cherokee hoop dancer whom he won't soon forget.
Kyle watched intently as Ernest Grant danced with 10 hoops in a display of skill that was entertaining and impressive.
The American-Indian dancer, in colorful regalia, picked up the hoops deftly with his feet, never missing a beat in his dance, and looped them over his body as he twisted and turned.
"He's awesome. I don't know how he did it," said Kyle, a pupil at Penn Forest Elementary School in Roanoke County. "I've never seen anything like that."
Kyle was equally impressed with Javier Alacorn, an Aztec dancer from Mexico who twisted, turned and leaped in deer and fire dances.
For Kyle and 2,000 schoolchildren, Green Hill Park in Roanoke County became a huge classroom Friday as they learned about the culture of American Indians - their arts, crafts, food, weapons and way of life.
What they saw - and what they were told by the American Indians - at the Indian Summer Powwow didn't always match what they have seen on television.
"It's not like what they show in movies," said George Leffue, another fifth-grader at Penn Forest. "I learned that the cowboys and Indians didn't always fight."
George said he learned that American Indians didn't say "how" to each other when they met, as cowboy movies imply.
Marvin Burnette, the Sioux Indian master of ceremonies for the powwow dances, told the children that Hollywood has misrepresented many aspects of the culture of American Indians.
"You will find out that we're like you," he said. "We are people, too, with our own culture and traditions."
During the day, the children participated in round dances with American Indians wearing native outfits, bought crafts, ate American-Indian foods, and watched demonstrations of teepee raising and arrowhead making.
For lunch, some bought buffalo burgers, buffalo stew, wild rice, corn, American-Indian tacos and Cherokee fry bread. Others brought their own lunches and had a picnic on the grass in the park.
Sixth-grader Susan Rodgers said the powwow helped her better understand what she has been studying in her social studies class at Hidden Valley Junior High School in Roanoke County.
The schoolchildren from the Roanoke Valley got a preview of the powwow that will be open to the public this weekend. They came from more than 15 schools in Roanoke, Roanoke County and Bedford County.
"This is definitely more fun than being in class," said Mike Mehalso, a sixth-grader at Hidden Valley. "I've learned about a lot about Indian dancing."
Many children bought American-Indian crafts from the vendors, including anklets, bracelets, necklaces, foxtails and horns.
Bryan Miller, a third-grader at Huff Lane MicroVillage School in Roanoke, paid $5 for a bow and arrow. "I never had one before. I wanted one," he said.
George Whitewolf, the American Indian who promoted the event, said he schedules school days for his powwows because he wants children to get an accurate view of American-Indian culture.
"We're tired of the John Wayne movie version of Native Americans as savages," Whitewolf said. "We want to show that our culture was real and beautiful."
The powwows are designed to be both educational and entertaining, he said, because dancing and other entertainment were part of American-Indian culture. The events bring together American Indians who provide entertainment and display their arts and crafts; they sell their crafts and food.
"We're making a living off our culture, but we're not exploiting it," Whitewolf said. "We try to do everything with dignity and pride."
He estimated that 250 American Indians will participate in this weekend's powwow. About 70 participants in full dance regalia will compete for $7,000 in prize money, and more than 20 vendors will be selling crafts and food.
Bill Thorne, marketing manager for the Roanoke County Department of Parks and Recreation, said the schools paid $3 for each child to attend the powwow preview.
"We stress the educational aspect," Thorne said. "We point out that this is a way for the kids to get a taste of what Native Americans were like."
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff. 1. About 2,000 children and teachersby CNBwatch a performance Friday at the Indian Summer Powwow. "It's not
like what they show in movies," said George Leffue, a fifth-grader
at Penn Forest. "I learned that the cowboys and Indians didn't
always fight." 2. American-Indian dancers perform at the Indian
Summer Powwow. color. 3. Vicki DiProsperis, a Buffalo Ridge
Cherokee, teaches schoolchildren Friday how to perform a circle
dance.