Veteran's Honoring at Native American Powwow

Veteran’s Honoring
11 a.m. Sunday, July 18, 2010
Redbird’s Children of Many Colors Native American Powwow
Moorpark College Athletic Field
7075 Campus Road, Moorpark, CA 93021
Ventura County
All Veterans Welcome
Color Guards Welcome

As we celebrate the continuation of our Native American culture and heritage, we wish to express our gratitude to all Veterans. Please join us on Sunday, July 18 at 11 a.m. as we sing the songs and dance the dances of the Gourd Dance Ceremony, and honor those who have devoted their lives to protecting this land.

On the third weekend of July the non profit group Redbird will hold its tenth Children of Many Colors Native American Powwow at Moorpark College, inMoorpark (Ventura County) California. On Sunday morning we would like to extend an open invitation to all Veterans and enlisted members of the United States Armed Services to join us during the Gourd Dance Ceremony.

The exact date of origin of the Gourd Dance Ceremony is unknown; it can be traced to the mid 1800s and to the Kiowa Nation. The songs and the dances were nearly lost in the turmoil that Native American people faced. In the late
1940s, a number of families came together to revive the dance and the principles of the warrior society, and to share these across the United States.

The Ceremony consists of four sets of four songs which are sung by a southern drum and to which male members of the Gourd Society dance in special regalia (clothing) which has roots in the Kiowa traditions as well as today’s reality. Most Gourd Dancers today are Veterans of the U.S. Military.
Women support the dancers from the outer edge of the dance circle and often outnumber the men in the center. We would like to honor all of our Veterans during this ceremony which begins at 11 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Immediately following the Gourd Dance is Grand Entry, when all of the Native American dancers enter the arena at once, and then stand for a Flag and Victory Song and Invocation. At this time, any color guards present are welcome to join us in the arena and bring their flags in with our own, and
with our Eagle Staff, the first “flag” of this land.

We hope you will share this information, along with the attached flier, with your contacts and respective bases and organizations. If you have any questions, email is the best way to secure an answer, but you may also reach us via phone, by mail or through our website.

Children of Many Colors Powwow July 16-18, 2010
Friday 6 p.m.–10 p.m. Open Flute Circle and Potluck
Saturday 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Intertribal Powwow all day,
Prayer for the Children 2 p.m.
Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Intertribal Powwow all day,
Veteran’s Honoring 11 a.m.
For more information: http://www.RedbirdsVision.org
Email: redbirds_vision [at] hotmail.com
P.O. Box 702, Simi Valley, CA 93062 (805) 217-0364
Redbird is a 501(c)(3) non profit association