Because of the rain and the not announced relocation of the pow wow mainly participants and their friends were there. Only a few spectators like me found the way to this great event. Better planing and use of the Internet could have prevented that.
The few exhibitors certainly suffered from that.

Marjorie was continuously working on the crafts. She was always friendly when I came to her table.

I was pleased that native food was offered instead of hamburgers and hot dogs. Many people were standing patiently in line.
After it had stopped raining, more people gathered outside of the hall. It was much easier to understand each other without the drums and all the singing.
I even saw some of the dancers to take a break here.

I came outside to watch the water ceremony which was dedicated to the great lakes.
When I trued to take pictures, I learned that I was not allowed to do that.

I was surprised to learn how many natives are still attached to the nature. I was not aware of that fact when I was driving through reservations.
However, I met many natives with and excellent education who had responsible jobs. Others did not make it and have problems with alcohol and drugs - similar to the "white" people. There are many programs offered to help those people.
It is completely wrong to consider our natives as people of a second class who live from welfare, are lazy and are most of the time stoned. A female journalist from a well known paper made a similar statement about the Newfoundlanders and she was completely wrong. It was a stupid form of racism.
Just see how much the native people do to preserve their culture and traditions and how they pass this on to their children. I wish they would include all none natives in this process. This could create new friendships.