From pre-Columbian times to the present day, Native Americans have enjoyed celebrating holidays and other special occasions. Tribes celebrated festivals and ceremonies throughout the year. These included everything from significant events in a person's life, the changing of the seasons, the arrival of special people or places, and elements of nature. This book discusses the important festivals and ceremonies celebrated by tribes in specific regions, outlining the form of the festival and how each was celebrated.

Native American celebrations are packed with symbolic gestures and intriguing details. A kind of party called a potlatch, staged by native peoples of the Pacific Northwest, was marked by guests receiving gifts, not giving them, and were sometimes put on to get back at an enemy. This appealing volume about a high-interest aspect of native cultures highlights several celebrations and ceremonies important to Native Americans across North America. Thought-provoking fact boxes, historical images, and modern-day customs will engage readers of all levels.

Native Americans had many different kinds of festivals and ceremonies. These involved everything from significant events in a person's life to the changing of the seasons, the arrival of special people or places, and the elements of nature. Learn more in Native American Festivals, part of the Native American Life series.

Within these pages, celebrated Native American writer Gabriel Horn weaves a hauntingly beautiful tapestry of traditional stories, songs, and prayers that highlight the sacred Native way of life. Interwoven throughout this visionary work are detailed ceremonies and rituals for: Marriage, Pregnancy, Birth, Greeting the Day, Death Divorce, Presenting an Infant to the Sun, Dreams and Visions Solstice and Equinox, Healing, and more... The Book of Ceremonies is filled with the heartfelt words of a powerful writer and the original illustrations of Carises Horn, a talented young artist. All of us who live on this sacred land will enjoy and treasure this beautiful book. Celebrated Native American writer Gabriel Horn weaves a beautiful tapestry of stories and short pieces that show us the sacred Native way of life. The writing is beautiful and emotional throughout. It is the work of a talented writer who has walked the native path for years, and is able to show us the native way in all aspects of life. The Book of Ceremonies offers clear explanations of a wide variety of ceremonies.

Colloquially the term “powwow” refers to a meeting where important matters will be discussed. However, at the thousands of Native American intertribal dances that occur every year throughout the United States and Canada, a powwow means something else altogether. Sometimes lasting up to a week, these social gatherings are a sacred tradition central to Native American spirituality. Attendees dance, drum, sing, eat, re-establish family ties, and make new friends. In this compelling interdisciplinary work, Ann Axtmann examines powwows as practiced primarily along the Atlantic coastline, from New Jersey to New England. She offers an introduction to the many complexities of the tradition and explores the history of powwow performance, the variety of their setups, the dances themselves, and the phenomenon of “playing Indian.” Ultimately, Axtmann seeks to understand how the dancers express and embody power through their moving bodies and what the dances signify for the communities in which they are performed.

★ “Clearly organized and educational—an incredibly useful tool for both school and public libraries.” —School Library Journal, starred review Powwow is a celebration of Indigenous song and dance. Journey through the history of powwow culture in North America, from its origins to the thriving powwow culture of today. As a lifelong competitive powwow dancer, Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane is a guide to the protocols, regalia, songs, dances and even food you can find at powwows from coast to coast, as well as the important role they play in Indigenous culture and reconciliation.

Celebrates the traditions of the American Indians in 400 photographs of pottery, jewelry, blankets, baskets, masks, totem poles, dances and powwows.