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My name is Justin Beatty and I am the founder of the Odenong Powwow. I am of Ojibwe (family ties to Garden River First Nations in Ontario, Canada) and of African-American descent. I live in Western Massachusetts and I am active in the Native communities throughout New England.
Here in Western Massachusetts, and the surrounding areas, the visibility of Native Americans, First Nations, & Indigenous people has been difficult to maintain. The histories of the people whose homelands encompass this part of the country are rarely discussed in public education locally and almost entirely ignored on the national stage. One of the important was visibility has been increased over the years has been through cultural events, academic presentations, and activism.
The largest Native American-oriented cultural event in this part of Massachusetts is the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Annual Powwow. For those of you who are not familiar with this aspect of Native American cultures, a powwow is a cultural, social gathering where many Native American folks from some Indigenous nations come together to celebrate our various heritages. We meet to share songs, dance, eat traditional foods, visit with elders, teach our youth, renew bonds, trade & sell crafts, and much more. It is also an opportunity for non-Native people to learn directly from us about who we are, how we see ourselves, and what is important to us culturally & socially. It provides a chance to dismantle stereotypes, correct erroneous beliefs, educate and inform by sharing culture directly.
The UMass powwow has been the primary medium-to-large-scale powwow in Western Massachusetts for nearly 4 decades and the only medium-to-large-scale powwow in the area since the mid-1990s. And although it takes place at UMass it serves not only the 5-College community but Western Connecticut, Central Massachusetts, and Southern New Hampshire. Without this event, the Native American communities spread throughout the region have not had an opportunity to celebrate our heritages collectively and our visibility within the public sphere is severely reduced.
Covid has made public gatherings a risky situation, and educational institutions have felt this crunch all too severely. Because of the dangers of having multitudes of students on their campuses & grounds many schools have limited the number of students that are attending in person. This has also led to a drastic reduction in community events put on by these institutions. One such casualty is the UMass-Amherst Powwow.
UMass-Amherst has not held their annual powwow for the past 2 years due to Covid-19. In wanting to make sure people in this part of New England wouldn't go without an opportunity to come together for a powwow in a safe and meaningful way I decided to hold a virtual powwow by partnering with the Social Distance Powwow of which I am a member of the Board of Directors. The Social Distance Powwow (SDP) is a Native-owned & operated non-profit organization that holds virtual powwows as well as cultural and educational events online via their Facebook group. The Social Distance Powwow Facebook group has over 240,000 members in 100+ countries around the world.
In order to hold this virtual powwow, I am looking to raise $5000.00. I am paying for this event solely through any money I can personally raise from donations, sponsorships, and out-of-pocket funds. This powwow is not a commercial venture for me. This powwow is my attempt to give back to my community and to provide them with an event that will bring them joy, allow them to celebrate who they are. The current date for the event is May 29, 2021.
There some expenses that can not be avoided such as providing compensation for the drum groups. Drum groups are an integral part of any powwow as they provide the music for almost all of the dancing. Powwow singing is a deep commitment and not something people can just pick up and do properly. There is a tremendous amount of protocol around being a powwow singer. They are responsible for knowing appropriate songs for each and every style of dance that is done to a powwow drum. They sing songs in a multitude of Indigenous languages aside from their own. Songs are often passed down through a gifting process where someone who has been given the right to share and teach a song, has to share or teach another person or group that song if the group or person wants to sing it. Being able to compensate them for their knowledge and talent is important and while they may be compensated through various means at in-person powwows being able to pay them for singing at this virtual powwow is an appropriate way to still support them for their work.
As this powwow is essentially a Northeast/New England-based powwow, it is also important to represent the singing style of many of the Native nations here as well. Not all nations have powwows and many Nations have regional styles of singing, to that end we want to secure someone to sing Eastern Social Songs. These types of songs are specific to the east coast of the U.S. and many people outside of the east coast whether Native or non-Native have very little awareness of these songs. Again, as a means to raise the visibility of Natives in the Northeast and to the history of Native nations & this country, sharing these songs holds an important place. These are the kind of songs the Pilgrims would have heard from the Wampanoag, that Benjamin Franklin would have heard from the Haudenosaunee, that countless other early European explorers and settlers would have heard as the first experienced Turtle Island, the east coast of this part of Turtle Island, the Americas.
Guest speakers play an important role as well, sharing information about a myriad of issues and subjects that pertain to Native people and non-Native people alike. Topics like education, history, healthcare, policy, commerce, and many others are the places where many of our lives and experiences intersect. Adding Indigenous perspectives helps bring us all closer to understanding each other and gives us guidance on how we can collectively move forward.
I also hope to be able to fund some dance competitions. Many powwow dancers spend a good portion of the year traveling to powwows all over the U.S. & Canada. Some of these dancers earn some supplemental income by participating in dancing contests or receiving other compensation from powwow committees. Since so many powwows have been canceled many of these dancers are struggling to take care of their loved ones, especially in the face of Covid.
If you can donate, please do. To be able to put a spotlight on the Indigenous people living in this area of the world and allow them to share who we are around the world will have an immeasurable impact. The pride, joy, knowledge, visibility, and respect that will come out of this event if successful will be experienced for years to come. If you donate, you would be helping me do something to uplift my community in ways it has never had the chance before. I don't know if I have the words to express how much it would mean to me to be able to give this gift to the people who have been my family, my support system, my community, and my heart for so many years, but you would have my unending & unyielding gratitude.
This is not a commercial venture. Any and all funds raised will go directly to paying performers, guest speakers, contest/special winners, and operational costs.
Thank you for your consideration,
Justin
Here in Western Massachusetts, and the surrounding areas, the visibility of Native Americans, First Nations, & Indigenous people has been difficult to maintain. The histories of the people whose homelands encompass this part of the country are rarely discussed in public education locally and almost entirely ignored on the national stage. One of the important was visibility has been increased over the years has been through cultural events, academic presentations, and activism.
The largest Native American-oriented cultural event in this part of Massachusetts is the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Annual Powwow. For those of you who are not familiar with this aspect of Native American cultures, a powwow is a cultural, social gathering where many Native American folks from some Indigenous nations come together to celebrate our various heritages. We meet to share songs, dance, eat traditional foods, visit with elders, teach our youth, renew bonds, trade & sell crafts, and much more. It is also an opportunity for non-Native people to learn directly from us about who we are, how we see ourselves, and what is important to us culturally & socially. It provides a chance to dismantle stereotypes, correct erroneous beliefs, educate and inform by sharing culture directly.
The UMass powwow has been the primary medium-to-large-scale powwow in Western Massachusetts for nearly 4 decades and the only medium-to-large-scale powwow in the area since the mid-1990s. And although it takes place at UMass it serves not only the 5-College community but Western Connecticut, Central Massachusetts, and Southern New Hampshire. Without this event, the Native American communities spread throughout the region have not had an opportunity to celebrate our heritages collectively and our visibility within the public sphere is severely reduced.
Covid has made public gatherings a risky situation, and educational institutions have felt this crunch all too severely. Because of the dangers of having multitudes of students on their campuses & grounds many schools have limited the number of students that are attending in person. This has also led to a drastic reduction in community events put on by these institutions. One such casualty is the UMass-Amherst Powwow.
UMass-Amherst has not held their annual powwow for the past 2 years due to Covid-19. In wanting to make sure people in this part of New England wouldn't go without an opportunity to come together for a powwow in a safe and meaningful way I decided to hold a virtual powwow by partnering with the Social Distance Powwow of which I am a member of the Board of Directors. The Social Distance Powwow (SDP) is a Native-owned & operated non-profit organization that holds virtual powwows as well as cultural and educational events online via their Facebook group. The Social Distance Powwow Facebook group has over 240,000 members in 100+ countries around the world.
In order to hold this virtual powwow, I am looking to raise $5000.00. I am paying for this event solely through any money I can personally raise from donations, sponsorships, and out-of-pocket funds. This powwow is not a commercial venture for me. This powwow is my attempt to give back to my community and to provide them with an event that will bring them joy, allow them to celebrate who they are. The current date for the event is May 29, 2021.
There some expenses that can not be avoided such as providing compensation for the drum groups. Drum groups are an integral part of any powwow as they provide the music for almost all of the dancing. Powwow singing is a deep commitment and not something people can just pick up and do properly. There is a tremendous amount of protocol around being a powwow singer. They are responsible for knowing appropriate songs for each and every style of dance that is done to a powwow drum. They sing songs in a multitude of Indigenous languages aside from their own. Songs are often passed down through a gifting process where someone who has been given the right to share and teach a song, has to share or teach another person or group that song if the group or person wants to sing it. Being able to compensate them for their knowledge and talent is important and while they may be compensated through various means at in-person powwows being able to pay them for singing at this virtual powwow is an appropriate way to still support them for their work.
As this powwow is essentially a Northeast/New England-based powwow, it is also important to represent the singing style of many of the Native nations here as well. Not all nations have powwows and many Nations have regional styles of singing, to that end we want to secure someone to sing Eastern Social Songs. These types of songs are specific to the east coast of the U.S. and many people outside of the east coast whether Native or non-Native have very little awareness of these songs. Again, as a means to raise the visibility of Natives in the Northeast and to the history of Native nations & this country, sharing these songs holds an important place. These are the kind of songs the Pilgrims would have heard from the Wampanoag, that Benjamin Franklin would have heard from the Haudenosaunee, that countless other early European explorers and settlers would have heard as the first experienced Turtle Island, the east coast of this part of Turtle Island, the Americas.
Guest speakers play an important role as well, sharing information about a myriad of issues and subjects that pertain to Native people and non-Native people alike. Topics like education, history, healthcare, policy, commerce, and many others are the places where many of our lives and experiences intersect. Adding Indigenous perspectives helps bring us all closer to understanding each other and gives us guidance on how we can collectively move forward.
I also hope to be able to fund some dance competitions. Many powwow dancers spend a good portion of the year traveling to powwows all over the U.S. & Canada. Some of these dancers earn some supplemental income by participating in dancing contests or receiving other compensation from powwow committees. Since so many powwows have been canceled many of these dancers are struggling to take care of their loved ones, especially in the face of Covid.
If you can donate, please do. To be able to put a spotlight on the Indigenous people living in this area of the world and allow them to share who we are around the world will have an immeasurable impact. The pride, joy, knowledge, visibility, and respect that will come out of this event if successful will be experienced for years to come. If you donate, you would be helping me do something to uplift my community in ways it has never had the chance before. I don't know if I have the words to express how much it would mean to me to be able to give this gift to the people who have been my family, my support system, my community, and my heart for so many years, but you would have my unending & unyielding gratitude.
This is not a commercial venture. Any and all funds raised will go directly to paying performers, guest speakers, contest/special winners, and operational costs.
Thank you for your consideration,
Justin