Down the Mississippi: Passing on the Dance of the Ojibwe (Chapter 2 of 15)

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• published: 22 Jun 2012
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Video accompaniment for Down the Mississippi (Mark Twain Museum Press) --- http://amzn.to/14xxNV1 By NEAL MOORE When I set out on my Mississippi River safari I wanted to first and foremost highlight and pay respect to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the indigenous American people who gave the Mississippi its name. Linguists and historians tell us that Mississippi is derived from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi, or "great river." It felt wholesome and natural and correct to pull up to Ball Club, Minnesota in a canoe to attempt to shoot and document the Leech Lake Nation's 47th annual powwow. The theme for the story was "Passing on the Dance of the Ojibwe," and what I discovered upon capturing this story was a blueprint and a mantra for each and every dispatch to come: Namely, that every town or city would swirl around a central cause or theme, and that if I could identify the players who were actively making the town spin, I'd have my positive stories in a tough economic climate. Along with each town's advice for the world on how to survive. When I looked about, I was mesmerized. Here at Mii-Gwitch Mahnomen Days, you had the powwow ring, with dancers in full dance regalia quite literally swirling themselves around a central cause and theme. I took in the many kiosks encircling the bleachers of the powwow ring. Families were selling kettle corn and Indian fry bread while others would display tanned animal hides and feathers. One woman at a T-shirt kiosk scrutinized a $20 bill for signs that it was counterfeit. The 21st-century economy was nothing new to these people. I felt both honored and privileged to be invited to take part in the powwow. There is a bond between the old and the young in the Native-American community that other cultures can learn from. The Ojibwe historically used intricate pictures on birch bark scrolls to transmit knowledge. This day, I learned that for the Ojibwe, dance communicates love − love of family, love of culture and a love of tradition. The value of the dance, explained an older member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, "is impossible to put into words." --------------- Click through all the videos that connect my journey Down the Mississippi: Chapter 1: Lighting Out for the Territory http://y2u.be/xTKx4CGKfic Chapter 2: Passing on the Dance of the Ojibwe http://y2u.be/c33Am30UyfY Chapter 3: Carpe Diem http://y2u.be/AwxUaTuzQfo Chapter 4: The Wisdom of Wildness http://y2u.be/BmhPfg-2DBU Chapter 5: The Somali-American Journey http://y2u.be/NE601sBpSsI Chapter 6: Rethinking the American Family Farm http://y2u.be/nb0M0JkT8eY Chapter 7: The Renaissance of America's Hometown http://y2u.be/RSO3-4x-AEI Chapter 8: Moving Positive http://y2u.be/yjFtojm68_E Chapter 9: The Ballad of Cairo, Illinois http://y2u.be/ESpV_FKjVZk Chapter 10: A Safe Place in the City of Good Abode http://y2u.be/vMfOtHtbifM Chapter 11: Embracing the Economic Blues http://y2u.be/524oPSmgaMk Chapter 12: Illiteracy to Literature in the Enlightened South http://y2u.be/7gknXg-9nzo Chapter 13: Life Lessons of the Dugout Canoe http://y2u.be/-DS9AaXjcqg Chapter 14: A Prison Without Walls http://y2u.be/uNzGHSajQSA Chapter 15: Brad Pitt's Make it Right NOLA http://y2u.be/gzHBBDum6eI Down the Mississippi Book Talk: http://y2u.be/qbLszLcAH7U Down the Mississippi Q & A: http://y2u.be/fJY8K3cwZDA The CNN.COM interview: http://bit.ly/5Q7G8P Down the Mississippi: A Modern-day Huck on America's River Road (Mark Twain Museum Press) is now available for purchase: http://amzn.to/14xxNV1