Cronkite News
PHOENIX – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, some Native Americans have found a way to safely host traditional powwows by moving them online.
In many Indigenous communities, powwows are celebrations of culture in which tribes gather to share art, stories, food, song, dance and the company of one another.
But the ongoing pandemic has made it impossible to hold these gatherings safely – in person, anyways. The Navajo Nation, for example,
has set curfews
and asked the 173,000 tribal members living on the reservation to stay home because 142 Navajos
have died of COVID-19 and 4,071 cases have been diagnosed.
That’s where the
Facebook group
Social Distance Powwow comes in. Founded by Stephanie Hebert, Dan Simonds and Whitney Rencountre, the group brings virtual powwows to life.
“Native peoples have been gathering and celebrating for eons — we congregate and we celebrate. That’s powwows. They’re exceptional social events,” Hebert said.
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Posted by Social Distance Powwow on Tuesday, April 7, 2020
— SocialDistancePowwow (@S_D_Powwow) March 28, 2020Access to running water remains a challenge on the Navajo Nation Reservation, which makes frequent handwashing and sanitation difficult. The illness also has shown severe impacts on those with preexisting health conditions, including asthma and diabetes, which are found disproportionately among Native Americans. Family lifestyles also affect the spread of the disease, particularly in homes with multiple generations under one roof, as many Navajo live, health officials have said. “Very sadly, several of our members have reported that they’ve lost family to the virus,” Hebert said. “And another thing that dancers do is we pray. We pray for healing. We pray for strength. And we pray for our communities and we pray over our people.” The online group has gained membership rapidly since the group’s formation on March 17. According to organizers, nearly 60,000 people took part in one early online powwow. “It’s time for us to be seen and heard, and that’s kind of what this movement has brought, it’s a chance for us to be seen and heard and people are seeing it and feeling it,” Simonds said.
Note: This story originally appeared on Cronkite News and is published via a Creative Commons license. Cronkite News is produced by the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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