Queens Powwow Keeps Colorful Traditions Alive Members of more
than 40 Native American tribes held an annual dance-off Sunday
in what's billed as the city's oldest and largest powwow. NY1's
Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following report. To view our videos,
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come back here and refresh the page. With so much music in the
air, it was almost impossible not to dance. It's a huge part of
the annual powwow, with dancers from some 40 tribes taking
center stage over three days. "It was loud but it was nice to
see how they did things back in the day," said one onlooker.
Some of the dances date back hundreds of years like the
traditional gourd dance, a warrior dance which opened Sunday's
festivities. "It's like blessing the circle. Giving respect to
the people who died in battle," said Gourd Dance Coordinator
Raymond Blackfeather. Circling the circle were dozens of booths
selling mostly handcrafted items from native peoples across
North America and South America.