The Three Sisters Intertribal Pow Wow takes place at the Atwood Lake Campgrounds with a variety of vendors, food trucks and a celebration of dances.
2024 DATE: TBD
Location: Atwood Lake Campgrounds
9500 Lakeview Rd
Mineral City, OH 44656
Website: https://www.facebook.com/threesistersintertribal
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This post documents my experience on October 8, 2023
Festival Structure
The Three Sisters Intertribal Pow Wow takes place at the Atwood Lake Campgrounds and is made up of a central dance area for dances and spectators. The dance area is then surrounded by vendor booth with some food trucks off to the side.
While in its own location, the Pow Wow does coincide with the Atwood Area Fall Festival. Visitors, therefore, need to pay admission to the fall festival to access the Pow Wow.
You can read about the Atwood Area Fall Festival at https://ohiofestivals.net/atwood-fall-festival-mineral-city/
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The Festival
As I followed the beat of the drums, the sign pointed me along…
…and helped me get to the Three Sisters Intertribal Pow Wow.
Some dancers were performing as I arrived…
…while others waited in the wings…
…and I toured the area as guests picked up lunch in the forms of fry bread tacos and bison burgers…
…eventually making my way to see the vendor merchandise…
…which included fetishes, dreamcatchers…
…blankets…
…beadwork…
…all sorts of jewelry…
…and artistic pieces.
When I returned to the dance circle, one of the dancers was gifted an Eagle Feather, a very highly respected gift that brought the dancer to tears.
Out of respect, I didn’t record this but was able to record a segment where many dancers, veterans, servicemen and their family came to the circle for a dance around the circle.
Here is a clip of that dance.
After, they did – what I believe is called – a spot dance, and many dancers came together to do different types of dance.
While I don’t have any video of individual styles or types of dances (just came at the wrong time, I guess), I thought this final video gives you a little at once – a smorgasbord of dress and dance types.
It’s actually rather beautiful.