Photos at right by Brenna SAWNEY ~ AISA 2022 Spring Powwow , Lloyd Noble Center
mother slips a medallion over my head . From the slit in the teepee ’ s canopy I can see my brother following behind the men who dance around the drum , carrying sage and more willow . Flashes of red and blue ribbons dance before my eyes , shifting with their movement . The sounds of their gourds rattle around inside of my head as I begin to get impatient with their fussing , shifting from leg to leg .
Eventually they finish , and I ’ m pushed out of the teepee , stumbling awkwardly in my mother ’ s old moccasins that are slightly too big for my feet . I add myself to the row of people who sit and watch the dancers in folding chairs , fanning themselves . My mother joins me , patting my leg and wiping sweat from my brow .
As the evening wears on I grow tired , resting my head on her shoulder and holding her arm for comfort . The dancers continue relentlessly , going around like clockwork and shifting in and out like a heartbeat with every hit of the drum . The trance it places me in almost lulls me to sleep , but as my eyes close the song comes to a stop . Everyone cheers , and I bolt upwards , knowing the ceremony is over .
I ’ m buzzing with excitement as the area is cleared , joining the other rabbits , who have already begun picking up trash . That ’ s another important duty we rabbits hold , maintaining the ceremonial grounds and making sure they are clean after the dancing ends for the day .
We make a game of it , seeing who can grab the most water bottles and soda cans , occasionally spraying each other . We giggle , stumbling and circling around , double-checking everything .
Once the elders deem the dancing grounds clean , we are relinquished from our duties . We cheer , someone going to grab a rubber ball . It ’ s thrown over to us , landing in front of me . I muster up as much strength as possible , kicking it across the grounds to another rabbit . She kicks it over to someone else , and the game begins .
We play kickball while the sunsets , casting a pink glow over the sky . The night is young and the air is cool , fireflies blinking in and out among the tall grass . There are no fireworks per tradition , just us giggling under the moon , and I am one happy rabbit .
NormanMagazine . com | MAY / JUNE 2022 13