It's Powwow Time in Tennessee......and any other place else i go!!! ~~ll;-)

About me, more or less.

As you can see, I'm a Kiowa style Straight Dancer and taught to straight dance by a member of the Kiowa Tai-pai Society.
I started dancing in 1993 after going to several powwows and watching my kids (& ex-wife) dance.
I figured I could only take so many pics of dancers dancing etc and had the chance to learn to straight dance.

Men's Southern Traditional, aka Straight Dance, is rooted in the Hethuska (Ponca, or Heluska if you're Kiowa, Commanche, or Osage, or Ilonska if you're Paunee).

A Hethuska is a very rigid and formal powwow dance where only the men (virtually all Straight Dancers, but a few Nothern Traditional Men's) are allowed out into the circle to dance, while their women will dance in place behind their men's place on the bench. All the men are assigned places to sit according to the Hethuska Society they belong to. And at the end of each song, you learn real fast, exactly what a tail dancer is. And if you don't start dancing, you learn just as fast, why the whip man is there.

The Straight Dance regalia can be either very traditional or very modern, depending on the cloth, beads, etc, which are used.
Several articles of the dance outfit have specific meanings.

The parts of my outfit are all made (nothing you can buy at Wal-mart) by hand, by myself, my daughter, or the ex.
The roach (the headpiece) is made from white deer hair and porky pine guard hairs and made by myself.
My next dance outfit project is to replace my moccs with a new pair. I've had the stuff to do it for several years, but free time has been a factor.
All of my German Silver was made by Pete Vilano. My set is one of the last ones he made before his death.

I started dancing for the fun of it and was about to quit dancing about 2 years ago. After being talked to and encouraged by some of my indian friends, to continue to dance, I've kept dancing and now dance every chance I can and I easily dance all of the dance sessions (usually 4).

I dance because of the way the drumming, bells, and movement feel. To be at a good dance, with a good drum (really enjoy being able to dance to a drum that Millard Clark leads), with a good song, with good dancers, with everyone's feet and bells in sync with the drum, the feeling is beyond description.
I also dance to remember my grandmother, my father (WW2 Vet, Col. in the Pacific), and to dance for those who can't dance.

While I might dance exhibitions at powwows and shows, I never dance competitions because then it becomes like a job and it loses the pleasure I gain from it.

The pic was taken April, 2000, at the Nancy Ward Heritage Days (a Girl Scout event), at the Sequoyah Museum in Vonore, Tenn. (Yeah, I know, i still can't spell Sequoyah, then again, MY grandmother was never a "Cherokee Princess".
My grandmother encouraged my early attempts at beadworking when I was 13 years old. I still do beadworking in various forms, loom, lazy stitch, brick, peyote, flat, wrap, edge, rosettes, etc.

I also Gourd Dance. I was brought out in 1997, joined the White Star Gourd Dance Society in 1998, and I have been dancing every Gourd Dance that I can.
To watch the Gourd Dance, it looks like just a bunch of men standing around, shaking fans and tin cans.
But to dance the Gourd Dance, that's when you start to learn why people really Gourd Dance. I've heard it said that Gourd Dancing is the closest a person can be in the Native American Church and not actually be a member.
Gourd Dancing can be a time for reflection about things. It can also be a social dance.
The Gourd Dance has a LOT of meanings and symbolism to it.
The White Star Society has been invited by some Kiowa's to come to Oklahoma in October to their formal Gourd Dance, to dance with them.

I danced my first Hethuska at National Powwow 12, in July 2002. It was hosted by Damon Roughface, the Nuda Hunga for the Ponca Hethuska and the drum (southern & Ponca) was led by Eli Warrior and Millard Clark was on the drum as well.
Dancing the Hethuska was a great experience, being able to dance with virtually all good straight dancers (no fancy or grass or women dancers in the circle).
I've since been invited to return in Nov., then May and the following Oct to dance at even more Hethuska's, the last two being the Ponca Hethuska's.

Regarding me, I'm a co-advisor for the Tsoyaha Indian Dancers and Mossy Creek Drum, a
co-ed youth group located in Morristown, Tenn. While most of the members can claim Indian heritage, and some are able to get their federal tribal cards, we're also a registered scout group that is open to everyone.

I was on the Board of Directors for the East Tenn. Indian League for 7 years or so and it's based in Knoxville Tenn. In the ETIL, I'm the Food Vendor Committee Chair-person, and Arena Committee Vice-Chair.

I'm a member of the White Star Gourd Dance Society, based in Indiana.

I danced my first Hethuska (Ponca hosted) in July of 2002 and have been invited to more since.

I enjoy doing tipi competitions and displays, which i do throughout the southeast.
I have also had my tipi furnishings on display at a national museum during Native American Month (November) in both 2001 and 2002.

I live just east of Knoxville, Tennessee, in Morristown. I just purchased a house and have been busy with that. It's a LOT of work furnishing a house, curtains, etc and work.
Oh, by the way, I'm 5'10", hazel eyes and graying hair (but i'm losing that now).

Things i do , to stay out of trouble....

Needless to say, I love to powwow (I try to do at least one GOOD powwow each month), plus I do tipi camping and competitions (i've owned a 14 footer RK Lodge for 10 years and bought a new 19.5 footer Reese Tipi in Feb 2003), camping, hiking, biking (bicycle), restoring my 1977 Yamaha XS-650D (it's running and moving), backpacking, canoing, and almost everything else outdoors. I'm also getting back into wargaming. I used to be ranked 12th in the nation, but when the system was changed, i dropped out of it to spend more time with my kids on the powwow trail.

When it gets to cold,that's when I do beadworking, painting, tipi furnishings, and dance regalia making.

I also enjoy cool nights, in my tipi, lying by the fire.

I enjoy doing tipi camping and competitions with my fully furnished Lakota Tipi. Fully furnished means the tipi has parfleeches (bags made of rawhide and painted) that hold everything from food to clothes, beaded bags, leanbacks (the indian version of a chair), some furs, plus the tipi cover has beaded rosettes (that I made myself).

My 14 footer lodge (tipi) placed 3rd at National Powwow 12, held during July, 2002. Ok.. OK... so I'm to cheap to pay $800 each for buffalo robes, but i still placed 3rd and missed 2nd by only 1/2 of a point. Besides, there's so much more I can do with that money which is a lot more fun. Don't you think?!??!

In Jan. 2003, after 4 years of thinking about it, i finally bought my 18 footer tipi. Actually, it's a Reese 19.5 feet from front to back. LOTS OF SPACE!!!!

I also love to camp, especially in the fall and spring. But to be honest, i hate camping in hot weather, unless it's on a lake or in the mountains.

Some things about me....

I'm divorced, have two children, one is working as a RN and is married. My son, age 19, moved in with me in March 2005 and is attending college in Morristown.

I've been with a fine woman since Dec. 2004. She likes tipis and powwows, which is really good. ( I used to think it was hard to find someone who likes to powwow and tipi's. But it's not as hard as i though). Things seem to be developing quite well. lol.

Email me or IM me if you want to know more.

My Favorite Places

NEW Tsoyaha Indian Dancers
NEW East Tenn. Indian League, E.T.I.L. Website

Download AOL Instant Messenger