Some additional information...

Both of you are correct. The POW-WOW has become something of a show. Even our tribal pow-wows in Oklahoma are more of an exhibition. Each tribe that still has ceremonials, ie the Osage, Cherokees, Delawares among many others, do not consider the pow-wow to be much more than a way for Indian people to come together and honor their traditions and the Creator. It is the act of "coming together" that is sacred to Indian people. In authentic Indian pow-wows the Creator is honored at those events through prayer, dance, song and drumming.

Pow-wows put on by wannabe groups, such as the Mohican bunch in Ohio and numerous others across the country, are nothing more than pageants. They are devoid of Spirit and honor nothing but the pursuit of money and the promotion of ethinic identity fraud. Even if some real Indians participate, and they often do, drawn by the prize money rather than the sacred gathering and honoring of Spirit, the wannabe pow-wow is still a fraud. I find it sad that real Indian people would even consider participating in such events.

I respect the traditions of Indian people to gather and honor their connections to their heritage and the Creator through dance, song and drumming. I despise the wannabe groups who are stealing our identity and appropriating our tribal culture in any way shape or form.