On the Black Grouse Lek - part 2

Three months... yes, three months! I can't believe I left so much time pass between part one and part two of this post! What a shame... :(

               24mm f/5.0 1/100sec ISO800 +3.33

Anyway, I am going to show you now probably the most interesting part of the courtship, the actual fights.

While the mating display I told you about in the previous part continues for most of the time, once in a while a more serious action takes place, especially when females come to visit the lek.

               560mm f/5.6 1/1250sec ISO800 +1.33

               560mm f/5.6 1/500sec ISO3200 +0.67

               560mm f/5.6 1/500sec ISO3200 +0.67

               400mm f/6.3 1/640sec ISO6400 +0.67

The confrontations go from just facing each other without really "attacking", to jumping towards the adversary trying to find an opening.

               400mm f/5.6 1/1600sec ISO1250 +1.33

And then... ATTACK!

               400mm f/5.6 1/640sec ISO640 +0.67

               400mm f/5.0 1/400sec ISO3200 +0.67

               400mm f/6.3 1/400sec ISO3200 +0.67

Everything is very fast and it's quite difficult to clearly see what's happening in those few seconds. Only when I look at the pictures, later, after coming back home, I can see the drama of the action, the fierce look and the strength the birds put in the fight. Feathers fly in the air and for a short but very intense time, the two birds fight in the air, almost as if they were dancing.

               400mm f/6.3 1/1000sec ISO2000 +1

               400mm f/5.6 1/1250sec ISO800 +1.33

               400mm f/5.6 1/1250sec ISO800 +1.33

               400mm f/5.0 1/400sec ISO3200 +0.67

               400mm f/5.0 1/400sec ISO3200 +0.67

Shots have been taken throughout a period of four days, in different weather, as you can see from the colors and the light conditions.

               400mm f/7.1 1/800sec ISO2500 +0.67

               400mm f/5.6 1/800sec ISO2500 +0.67

And then, suddenly, everybody fly away... a small bird of prey arrived in the distance... better be far, you never know. It was almost time, anyway, for the birds to stop their mating activity for the day.

               722mm f/8.0 1/320sec ISO6400 -0.67

The four days spent photographing these beautiful birds have been an awesome experience that I hope to repeat one day. If you enjoyed the shots, you might enjoy also the story I published on MAPTIA:

https://maptia.com/frazgu64/stories/fight-dance

Count-Down to the Pow Wow

Less than one week to go! This year's Children of Many Colors Native American Intertribal Pow Wow is here!

The last step of this count-down sees Northern Traditional dancer Nico Blackeagle Phoenix who is Paiute and also Tohono O'odham.

I like all the different dance styles and all the regalia of the dancers, but I must confess this specific style has always attracted my attention. The feather bustles, the hair pipe breast-plates and chokers, the beadwork: A full regalia at its best. And the steps of the dance are a beautiful mix of warrior and hunter movements.

This dance is a contemporary style but is originating from the old traditional dances of the tribes living in the Northern Plains – hence the name it's called with. Those were specifically danced by the warrior societies, as celebrations or rituals before battles. Nowadays, it's more up to the single dancers and their interpretations, but you can still see the representation of a war story, and also the imitation of animals or hunting tactics. As a matter of fact, I often asked myself if some of the steps I had seen on different occasions were imitating the birds of the prairie that I had seen in many documentaries when I was younger.

The feather bustle worn in the back is very impressive. It's usually an arrangement of tail and wing feathers and in this case Nico also has an eagle head in the center. Originally only a few dancers were allowed to wear bustles, but they have now become part of the Traditional Dance outfit. Beadwork is also very important and Nico's vest, arm and head bands as well as the other accessories are really works of art.

The dancer is also carrying a dance staff, reminiscent of a staff that was brought to battle by many tribes. Nico's one is finely decorated and has an eagle claw at the top of it. Also, he's wearing a beautiful breast-plate made of hollow bones, reaching almost his knees, and he's carrying an eagle-feather fan. Nico's regalia is completed by the traditional roach, made of porcupine and deer hair, as a head-dress.

This dance has some unique steps, often part of the dancer's own style, but a couple worth mentioning are when the dancers are hopping at the beat of the drum or are starting the dance very low on the ground, imitating an animal looking for a prey or a warrior in the field.

I hope you can enjoy these photos and try to imagine this dance, if you hadn't had the chance to witness one in person! Keep checking these pages for more pictures in the future, sharing the culture of the Native people of America.

Count-Down to the Pow Wow

Three weeks to go to the 2013 Children of Many Colors Native American Intertribal Pow Wow. The count-down continues.

You may already know from my "about" page on this blog, of my passion for Native American culture and traditions, and you can imagine how exciting it's been to attend this pow wow last year. Time is running fast and the new edition of the event organized by Redbird, is just around the corner. To celebrate, what better than honoring some of the Native American dancers that attended last July?

Today I am going to introduce you Johnny Nieto of the Tule River Yokut's Tribe and from the Tule River Indian Reservation, California. Strong athlete, born-leader and role model for the younger generations, he sets his goals high and wants to become Chairman of his Tribe to take care of his people and represent them.

                                      340mm f/11 1/1000 sec ISO 640

It's not possible not to note Johnny in the pow wow arena, for his dance performance and for the green, orange and white colors he wears. He's a grass dancer and as I learn from Corina Roberts, founder of Redbird, the Grass Dance originated on the plains, possibly within the Omaha Nation and is a very old dance.

                                    100mm f/13 1/800 sec ISO 640

It was initially coming from the need to prepare the ground for ceremonies, removing pebbles and rocks from the area and pressing down all the grass. That was down gracefully and with fluid motions, using the bottom and side of the feet, while mimicking with the body the movement of the tall grass in the wind. Tradition says that grass dancers came first, to make the way for the others who followed.

                                        100mm f/14 1/800 sec ISO 640

Originally, real tufts of grass were used, but today's regalia are made with yarn or ribbon fringes that moves as the dancers dance in the arena, representing the movement of the grass. The Grass Dance is probably one of the most "athletic" dances, requiring a lot of strength and endurance. Dancers show their style and ability and feel the dance, as you can see from the concentration Johnny has while he's dancing.

                                       100mm f/14 1/800 sec ISO 640

He is wearing a roach headpiece, made by porcupine hair, each hair tied together by hand to form this elaborate headset, which is featuring the classic feather pair. The green and orange colors of his regalia represent Porterville High School and he's also featuring the Big Foot, symbol of Tule River's Nation. Ankle bells keep the rhythm of the drum beat.

The unity with all the people around you, your family, the people you have met, and the people you love, is always present in the thoughts of all the dancers, and this comes very clear also from Johnny's words: "I just love the environment of Pow-Wow, it's the time you can just forget about the outside reality, and just be around people you love. I don't just dance for myself; I dance for those who can't dance and for healing or strength."
 

Thank you, Johnny for giving me the permission to post these photos, and for sharing your dance.

 

Children of Many Colors

Last year in July, I had the great opportunity to attend a Native American Pow Wow.
Redbird, a non-profit Native American and environmental association, organizes every year their signature event, the Children of Many Colors Pow Wow. The association is very active along the year with educational efforts, environmental preservation work, and has the goal to bridge the cultural gap still existing between the Native Nations and other cultures.

A Native American Pow Wow is a gathering of Native American people who meet to dance, to pray, to socialize. It is for sure a moment to relax and dance together, but at the same time it is a sacred event during which honor is given to the Creator, to the elders and to all the living creatures around us. Also, it is an important moment to preserve and transmit the culture and traditions of Native Americans to the younger generations and to the other cultures.

The Children of Many Colors Pow Wow is a family-oriented, inter-tribal gathering. Everybody is welcomed to attend, and the whole environment is very friendly. Many volunteers work hard to organize the event, first among all the founder and main soul of Redbird, Corina Roberts, who is also a very good photographer and with whom I have been in touch since last year.

To celebrate the upcoming 2013 Pow Wow next July, I would like to try and have a count-down on these blog pages, featuring some of the dancers I had the honor to take pictures of, last year.



For this first post, I would like to feature a beautiful dancer named Susan Jackson. Her family name is Sackhavaum – which means She/(He) Who Watches The Water – and she is Quechan from Winterhaven, California, Coyote Clan; and also Laguna Pueblo from New Mexico, Badger Clan.

                                      400mm f/10 1/800 sec ISO 640


Susan immediately got my attention as one of the most active dancers, and the way she danced was communicating the importance she was giving to that dance and the pride she was dancing with.

She is an all around dancer, but in this case she was dancing Women's Jingle Dress, contemporary style. This is one of the oldest dances, that spread around all the different Native American Nations. It is a healing dance, and as Susan herself told me, the story tells that a long time ago a young girl was very ill on her death bed. Her father started to have recurring dreams and visions where four women were dancing around his daughter. They were wearing a special dress that was making a particular sound. Every time the women were dancing around her, the little girl was getting stronger and stronger until, after the fourth time, she was even able to dance with them and was completely healed.

              220-260mm f/10 1/800-1/1000 sec ISO 640

Once the man woke up, he immediately started searching for that particular sound, but despite trying different kind of bells, he could not find the right one. Not until he hit two tobacco lids together and noticed the sound was very similar. He started collecting tobacco lids to make these special four dresses. He then asked four women to wear the dresses and dance around his daughter. As in his visions, his daughter started getting stronger and stronger each time the women danced around her, until she was able to dance with them and be cured.

                                     135mm f/11 1/640 sec ISO 640


In these photos, Susan is wearing a bright yellow dress because she's dancing "contemporary style", opposed to the "old style" where the colors are darker, usually no plumes or feathers are worn, and the foot-work is not as fast and elaborate like in the contemporary style.

Very impressive is her bead-work that she did herself, putting a lot of time, effort and prayers into it. I am very thankful to Susan for sharing with me (and with you) the special meaning that her bead-work has to her. She used a circular design which represents the medicine wheel and our Earth. Her main color is a sky blue which represents the sky above us. The color burst inside the circle represents the color of the people living on the Earth. The dentalium shells represent the ocean and the creatures living in our oceans.

                                    400mm f/10 1/800 sec ISO 640

Also part of her dancing regalia, the fan – made of eagle feathers – not only serves its practical use (dancing in the sun for hours makes you feel very hot), but has also a spiritual meaning, and Susan uses it to send her prayers up to the Creator or to who needs them. When it's raised, Susan is honoring the drum, her elders and those who cannot dance anymore, as well as those who passed on before her.

                                      150mm f/10 1/800 sec ISO 640


I would like to thank you again Susan for taking the time to contribute to this post and for her dance at the pow wow, and Corina for the great help she gave me.
Follow the blog for the next steps in the countdown to the upcoming 2013 Children of Many Colors Pow Wow.