Thanks Tustarora Girl!

That was the first time on my life I saw a Pow Wow: is a social/dancing/handcraft/dresses gathering between first nation, indigenous people, Indian people, native american or whatever you used to call the people has been living in this side of planet since 30 thousand and more years ago. By the way, no one of the names we used to call them are their names: they have almost 1800 names here, like us “Americans”, french, german, argentineans, colombians, turkish, dutch. They did not used to be a single culture in this enormous territory and they are not in that way now, as in Eurasia or Africa our ancestors do not used to be equally between them, just similar. Here in Abiayala, similar is not equal.

Pow wow is not a party like parties of us we have European languages and culture; it is not a reunion like we used to have reunions, is not a fair like we visit Sunday in town, is not a Mass like in our religions; is not a fashion show with next trend colors for clothes next season, is not a cheerleader challenge of the district: take all this different activities, put in a mixer the most exciting part of each one for you, and the juice you get it is near from Pow Wow it is.

The meaning of first people in this land of the planet they feel the beautiful, the strong and intelligence is almost opposite side from other sides of the planet: that is logical, that is not "good" or bad", is normal, as no camels in arctic and polar bear in Sahara. But we, the most people of western culture, the culture coming from egypt-greek-roman-christianity-british empire-united states of america-french revolution we lost or we are losing our logical sense in our minds: most of us think that our kind of beautiful, the strong and intelligence meaning is the main in this entire planet, not just some other between 5 thousand culture, at least, there are running alive this 2021 in 8 billions of people that sleep and awake every day in this the planet earth. But a way, a culture used to have a particular language: 5 thousand cultures is something like the same number of languages or more. Just imagine 5 thousand ways for water words. The same liquid and we humans have at least 5 thousand ways to name it, Wow! All of them are valid: in each culture they know that liquid with that name they have in their culture. 5 thousand valid ways to name that liquid. Let to put it in this way: If there are 5 thousand people in a line, and is middle of the day in a hot summer day, imagine each of them they are from a different culture: in some moment they will star to talk in 5 thousands ways that they want some water, agua, eau, cai, víz, voda, vanduo, води, su, ਪਾਣੀ ਦੀ, ura, maji, apă, αίγύα, akvo, uisce, tubig, vand, omi, ūdens, 水, nước, vann, dlo, wasser, madzi, dŵr, watan, woda, rano, amanzi, auga, acqua, air, ilma, te wai and other 4963 way for the same beautiful, transparent and refresh liquid... Wow!

Why are “the smart" people from "western culture" having this attitude? I do not why, but it sound like ugly, weak and dumb: far away of our allegedly beautiful, strong and intelligent way of be. I know that some of the ``great minds" of our culture, scientists, people and others are working on the "main challenges of our times", like "getting to mars". But sorry buddies: I know I am not the most "authority voice" for said something "important" for you (no degree, Master, phD, Post phD, not big movie star, not big sport star, "I never planted a tree, had any child ...") but you know what?: I used to be good in history classes, and I remember with clearly that our capacity for listen, talk, understand and share  with other culture make the culture that we are today, and we are not doing that anymore than we used to do. This is a big problem, and fixing it is some of our bigger challenges today and tomorrow. Sorry for your big checks, academics and technology in those projects. Yes, you can use it, yes: but there is something called priority, and we can have today all that technology and knowledge by our culture, and our culture must be fixed and it is first in priority list than build and fly your real version of Guardian of the Galaxy or Star War. What do you think will do in this situation Luke Skywalker or "Star Lord"?

Hey! This is supposed to be just a "short and superficial report" of a pow wow for a friend. Why did I say all those "important things"?. Well, sorry, let me focus again on the main subject: what's up in the pow wow here in Salamanca NY in Seneca Territory. "Sorry guys (degree, Master, phD, Post phD, big movie star, big sport star, "I planted a tree, had one child..."), sorry, I know this matter are for you, we the "others" must to do facebook homework, tumblr and whatever trend superficial invent you design for us".

Well, how a pow wow looks like comments (this will sound like some friends and even relatives think about it), something close to meaning violence mainstream thinking out there about it: "weird”. The womens are not like the girls in a disco. There are too many childrens and elders on the way, is uncomfortable walking there. They eat something called indian tacos and there is not fries or soda, just strawberry juice, yuck! And the guy, that mens sucks. They looks like turkey and other birds: they have plenty of feathers in his bodies, and went a big drum sound they start to move like the animal turning around a female or looking some food or trying to fly: I do not really understand why they do that in that way.  And women worst: she does not show any body parts, and some of them are there with his babies of all ages. Wow! How could be that funny for someone?" Yes, I think it was funny and I am "someone person", and there are 566 Nations in US think equal than I, thousands all across central and south america, and several in all the world.

Let me describe you just dresses: there are too many colors in just one dress of those dancers that I've ever I saw before whatever dress! They are built with I do not know what kind of material, but you do not need thc, lsd stimulation of 3D glass to get a visual show just seeing the dress: is a surface like alive and with movement and depth, like a kind of super skin's creature from avatar movie forest.

Imagine a party inside a church or mosque, if you like that kind of religion, and it is allow to have parties there in that religion you have (imagine a theater, a mall, a kitchen: whatever place that is meaningful for you): now play some music you like, not! Sorry, correction: there are live bands playing some of your preferred songs. Then let them put some clothes on: whatever dress or clothes you pick up is allowed, like a carnival. Call all your buddies: there will be free food and beverages for everybody there, and of course you could be there with all your family: do you like it? For me, personally, a Pow Wow was something like that: is not like a church, is meaningful but without boring solemnity. Is like a barbecue, but if you participate you do not need to buy the sausage; it is like a family Sunday noon, but with friends, other girls and guys to see and say hello. Is for some workout, but with live music and fresh food. 

Did you remember that remarkable parade you were seeing, and suddenly you would like participe and jump in because it looked so fun? Pow Wow here in Seneca Nation was like a kind of parade in which you can do it: there are the pro dancers with delightful dresses dancing, but in some parts of the pow wow everybody can participate with them: childrens, teens, adults, elders, womens, mens, everybody! Wow! I never saw that before in my life. In my culture, dancing is after three beers, mostly for young people, a few times children and elders there, and few lights. Dancing in my culture is so fun, but I think personally is not a authentic social and family manifestation, just looks like a social convention hide in prejudice, and for most of us shame for the way "we must move our bodies" (in our culture we have rules even for "how to move the body properly"), and do not just move it, without shame of it, without shame of your clothes, age, how you looks like. Yes, there are special dances with special movements in  a Pow Wow. Yes, we have a free dancing movement in our culture: but I do not remember a dancing show with Pro Dancers and common people sharing at same time, with childrens and elders there. Yes, there are not superior cultures in the world, just different. Yes, I am just talking about one aspect of Senecas very specific (a dance show). Yes, they are not perfect. (All “yes” is because sometimes when I speak of these people or other first nations, people think I never have that clear view that they are not “perfect”, “good” or “pure” in the way some authors, theories or mainstream use to think about them).

Do we have something like that in our culture? I do not remember, maybe. They have it in their culture, First Nation from US and Senecas and Haudenosaunee people too, and they share it with whoever wants to do it.  There was no fee entry. There was no special rule for getting there and participating in some open stages of the show. Just dance, share talk and food and beverages with other peoples, and in some moment, if you want, move the body like  in a nice and huge flashmob: in that way that we, "the instruction culture" (free culture few year ago maybe we used to be our name) is having some trouble for arrive or learn from a "Pow Wow way of life". It looks like we are closer from Mars than a Pow Wow. "Houston, we have a huge western culture problem!” Is hearing in some places out there in the galaxy about us.