Browner Excerpts and Perea: Pow-Wows

In the first Browner excerpt, the insider v. outsider theme is discussed in detail.  In the early twentieth century, Indians were forced onto reservations and the American government sought to regulate Indian culture.  The government tried to limit Indian dancing in particular, however, the government deemed dancing, which was associated with pow-wows, to be acceptable if performed in order to entertain or to gain American acceptance.  Although Commissioner Burke was attempting to restrain Indian culture, as an outsider he was blinded by the entertaining aspects of Indian dancing, yet he failed to see that Indian dancing cannot just be separated from the spiritual and social meanings for the Indians.  Dancing was then legalized with the help of Collier who was fascinated by Dancing. The excerpt goes into further detail about the Lakota tribe and their underground pow-wows.  After the Great Sioux Reservation was established, the government began regulating the culture of the The Lakota people by outlawing specific dances such as the Sun Dance. In order to preserve their culture they took their pow-wows underground. The Anishnaabe people were able to preserve their culture by exploiting the insider v. outsider theme.  To the outsider, pow-wows seem like a "carnival or sporting event" however for an insider, tradition music and dance "even when performed at large competitive pow-wows and for non indian audience, can still exist within the realm of spiritual and sacred."  Outsiders continue to try to control Indian practices, however, outsiders will never be able to comprehend the importance and meaning of the traditional ceremonies that are conducted at pow-wows.

In the second Browner excerpt,  Browner goes into great detail describing what occurs during a pow-wow through careful, explicit observations.  Browner describes the order of events of the Pow-wow, the set-up, the participants and the songs and dances that occur.  However it is obvious that Browner is an outsider looking in on pow-wow.  Even though the observations are so detailed, Browner fails to capture the spiritual and emotional significance of the traditions.  The dances that elicit specific emotions for the Indians are really just entertaining for Browner and the other outsiders. It is apparent that non-Indians will not be able to comprehend the magnitude of certain traditions as much as they try, because they do not have the insider perspective.

Perea on the other hand, is an insider describing the events and traditions of a pow-wow to an outsider reader.  Perea goes into detail about the importance of origin stories;  he says, "My sense of pow-wow origin story is shaped through my participation in the event as a singer and spectator, as well as by readings on pow-wows drawn from ethnomusicology and Native American studies."  Perea's extensive knowledge about the pow-wow is enhanced by the fact that he is an insider, a participant in the traditional pow-wows.  He also discusses how space and music together are important in creating a sense of community, thus the arrangement of the Pow-wow is important.  The arrangement is circular, which is representative of the belief that everything is connected.  At the center is the pow-wow drum because it "gathers singers, dancers and other community members to participate in the pow-wow."  The female singers surround the male singers and the dancers and community members surround the female singers.  Perea extensively discusses the role of the singer, and he is able to utilize his insider experience to describe the importance of the singer.  He also discusses the role of the dancers, from the perspective of a singer. Singers are supposed to "inspire dancers to dance their best all day by selecting good songs and performing them at the right temp and pitch."  His insider point of view was very intriguing and eye opening because it offers a deeper perspective on the traditions of pow-wows.