Powwow: Central Iowa First Nations Peoples
Go
behind the scenes at an American Indian powwow! Featured participants will be
Master of Ceremonies and storyteller Preston Duncan, Meskwaki Singers, and Meskwaki
Dancers. First Nations participants will explain powwow ettiquette, talk about
the history of Iowa’s Indians, and provide commentary about traditional
dances, songs and regalia. The event will conclude with a Round Dance for everyoneat
the end of this two-hour program.
Availability: weekday evenings, weekend days and evenings
Fees to Artists (plus travel): $2,600
Participants: 13
Bios of Key Participants:
Preston
Duncan was born in a wiki-up in the timbers on the Meskwaki Settlement.
Reared by his parents and then his aunts, uncles and grandparents, Preston first
learned English and then Meskwaki. He enlisted in the Marine Corps after high
school and, by age 24, spoke 17 languages, including English, Meskwaki, German,
Mexican Spanish and Japanese. An experienced presenter of Indian culture, history,
and healing traditions in Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, Mr. Duncan is also a
skilled traditional dancer and excellent master of ceremonies.
Preston has provided Indian culture and history presentations for 12 years; he has also given presentations about Indian law and history for colleges in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. The focus of his presentations is often on culture and religion, which the Meskwaki regard as one. He also spoken about ecology and environmental history from an Indian perspective and has given talks to medical doctors in the Quad Cities about healing traditions.
The Meskwaki Dancers perform most often for powwows, which include a variety of dances (referred to as songs). The Meskwaki Singers from the Tama, Meskwaki Settlement, perform a variety of Meskwaki songs and dances. The drum, also known as the singers, control the beat for the dancers and perform at Meskwaki and other powwows.
The Meskwaki Dancers and Drum were featured performers at the 2004 Midwest Folk Fest, and several of them also performed at the 1996 Sesquicentennial Festival of Iowa Folklife and the Smithsonian’s Festival of American Folklife.
