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| Image by woodleywonderworks via Creative Commons |
During the summer of 2025, I had the opportunity to attend two powwows. In the early summer, I attended one hosted in the ballroom of the student center at Brigham Young University. Then in early July, I attended the powwow hosted by the Ute tribe outside of Fort Duchene as part of the Ute Reservation. (Ute means "Land of the Sun").
Of course, I have long heard about the respected role that elders play in indigenous cultures. However, I do not fully understand the role because I am an outsider (and I always will be). However, I try to read at least one book a month about indigenous people. I am working at being an active listener to the messages in the statements made by people from the First Nations.
I find it better if I refer people to reading the works by indigenous people themselves instead of having the message garbled (in content, tone, and style) if I try to summarize.
Here are a few sources (with an acknowledgement that there may be glaring omissions):
