The Resource April 2014 Volume 1 Issue 004 | Page 21

she works into the wee hours of the morning thinking, cutting, stitching, placing, redoing and finalizing patterns. Wanda said she was first introduced to the powwow circuit at a young age by her aunt Grace Gray and Late uncle Dickie Gray, who helped raise her, after her losing her grandmother and whom she considers her mom and dad. She credits the Grays’ and Joe and Genevieve Bassett, Otoe, from Red Rock, Oklahoma, who introduced her into Southern Cloth dancing; today she dances the Northern Traditional Buckskin and Cloth category and will dance the Jingle Dress dance. In addition to learning this sacred dance and competing in many powwows across the U.S. and Canada, she also learned the art of crafting. Her first powwow items were constructing moccasins, barrettes and earrings. From small items like barrettes and earrings, her talent bloomed into making accessories like beaded purses, hair ties, medallions, chokers, bracelets, moccasins/leggings to sewing full male and female outfits for all categories withappliqué work. Wanda picked up the appliqué work and designing from a dear friend Darlene Beetso, Seamstress, and expresses she appreciates Ms. Beetso for sharing her talents. There are many people across Native America that work behind the scenes like Wanda and design, bead and sew to make powwow attire for their family, friends and customers. Unlike a typical store-front business, Wanda does not advertise her outfit making business. It is common for those who are talented, like Wanda, to be sought after at powwows for their work. The amount of work and detail that goes into each outfit not only takes a lot of time, but patience and persistence. Many will agree that the time invested can be extensive. You cannot justify the amount of hours it may take to complete one outfit. In simple terms, they become priceless pieces of art. Wanda proudly admits that powwows have provided many positive and rewarding qualities for her and her family. For more information, you can contact Wanda at [email protected] or [phone] April Volume 1 Issue 004 21