CARSON CITY, Nev. – The vibrant spirit of the Native American Powwow is dazzling visitors to the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Contemporary arts and crafts of the Nevada style powwow are on display through Aug. 7. Then the exhibit will move to the Northwest Reno Library until November. It will be at various locations in Nevada for the next two years.
“What Continues the Dream: Contemporary Arts and Crafts in the Powwow Tradition” includes dramatic photos and personal comments from artists who created the displayed powwow regalia. Visitors can see a hand drum, rattles, beaded belts, bracelets, moccasins, and a dance stick, to mention just a few of the displays.
“The exhibit includes a lot of exquisite bead work,” said Deborah Stevenson, the museum’s curator of education. “Beaded belts, beaded headdresses, and a medicine pouch with beadwork; almost all the items have bead work. They’re beautifully hand-crafted. There are text panels on the walls, and that’s one of my favorite parts of the exhibit. There are personal reflections from the individual artists, and singers and drummers from Powwows. They talk about a feeling of honor and respect, family values and tradition that’s so important to Native Americans. I like to hear that in the words of the individual artists.”
The exhibit also includes several color photos of people at powwows dancing.
“It’s not a large exhibit but it is very beautifully done,” Stevenson said. “I think it’s a nice introduction to Native American culture powwow tradition.”
The display opened at the Stewart Indian School powwow over Father’s Day weekend. “We’re the first museum to get it,” Stevenson said.
The exhibit is at the Nevada State Museum on loan from the Nevada Arts Council.
A host of Nevada organizations partnered in the presentation’s development, including the Nevada Arts Council’s Folklife Program, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, Las Vegas Indian Center, and the Nevada Indian Commission.