Pow Wow

Mom, Deb, and I went to the Fantasy Springs Casino to attend the Cabazon Tribes' Pow Wow. After his time at the gym, Paul put the pre-stuffed turkey in the oven. (I had made the stuffing the night before, so it was cool when I stuffed the turkey.) It was an overcast Saturday, but we were in high spirits.

The dancers took the floor in small groups, ever widening the circle.

Here the drummers (one of four groups of drummers) are working up to increasing the beat. The ends of their drum sticks had big white furry parts which made the blurring in the picture even more pronounced. 

They are not at the heart of their song because, as you can see, all of the men are not singing. I think the big guy has just started. Their music, while deafeningly loud did not make me cover my ears. It washed over me, covering my body in sound and rhythm that seemed to seep into my pores and transport me to a place of calm.

Their song, which could be heard by some as "yelling," affected me in the same way that a cantor's song had at a funeral. It touched my soul and I became one with the music.

Eventually, the floor was covered in dancers -- perhaps 200 people. 

The dance went on for a long time -- they alternated drums after about 7 minutes or so of unending drumming. It was most impressive. 

There were many vendors of Indian crafts.

Oh, and we had lunch at Pom, the Fantasy Springs casino restaurant.

This is just a small section of the waterfalls there. Each brick juts out about a half inch from the one on top, ensuring that the water sprays in this artistic fashion. This is one side of the outdoor pool area which has many plantings and is very beautiful.

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Paul took a group shot at Thanksgiving. That's Clara on the far left and you know the rest of us!