Pow Wows, Pizza and Panoramas


Today we got a taste of real Taos. Taos the town became a thing long after Taos the Pueblo, about a mile away. The pueblo, which Brian and I got a tour of 5 or 6 years ago, is often open to the public. It’s a great introduction to what life in a Native American pueblo was like, a great cultural experience. It’s part of a reservation where almost 5,000 people reside. The pueblo is closed this weekend, due to the fact that this weekend is the annual Taos Pueblo Pow Wow.

The Pow Wow is held near the pueblo, but not on the grounds. A pow wow is a gathering of different groups in common friendship. This one is in its 30th year, which is a long time for such events to run continuously. We were able to see the Grand Entry, a long procession of people of all ages in traditional ceremonial dress, performing their ceremonial dances to the sound of the drum circle. The dancers come into a sort of arena encircled by a shelter of logs tied together and covered with branches. Two family friends of one of our travelers performed—one as a drummer, one as a dancer. It was an amazing, colorful experience.

Almost as fun was the shopping accompanying the pow wow. Native American artisans set out booths in an even bigger circle around the grounds, and we checked out all the jewelry, clothing, drums, pottery, even pelts that were available for sale. They managed to coax a few dollars out of all of our pockets. And of course, no pow wow is complete without a genuine Pennsylvania Dutch funnel cake, right? I expected to find some fry bread, but this was a very acceptable alternative.

One thing about the pow wow is that it is in an open field in New Mexico in July. It is a little bit hot. We decided to come back and have some recovery time at our adobe before tackling anything else. I think we all fell asleep for at least a little while.

Eventually we all came around again and went for pizza at Taos Pizza Outback. It was great pizza, and since we had sort of skipped lunch, it was eagerly received. Conversation around the table took some interesting turns—let’s just say I learned a bit more about all of the parents of these girls. I am sure that said parents will have the pleasure of learning a few things about me when this is all over. I’ll keep my mouth shut if you will.

The sun was getting low when we finished dinner, so we wasted no time driving out to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. This is typical New Mexico, as far as I can see. Something completely gorgeous and amazing that is treated in a casual, understated way. I have been there before and I knew it was coming, but if you didn’t know and didn’t notice the two smallish brown signs announcing it, you would think you might be about to cross a bridge over a drainage ditch—the bridge just looks like more road. But when you get there, you realize it is an enormous bridge spanning a deep gorge. It may not be the Grand Canyon or Royal Gorge in Colorado, but it is still a breathtaking sight, and so unexpected. We watched the sun begin to set, then loaded back into the car and came home.

These four girls are having something of a pow wow themselves—representatives of different family cultures who come together to celebrate friendship. There is a lot of music, a little bit of dancing, and a lot of sharing of individual cultures. For instance, right now, a couple of them are being inducted into the Miyazaki animated film culture. Another introduced the group to the U2 Joshua Tree album, as it is a fitting soundtrack to this area. Tea has become a staple for all of them. Our devotions tonight will be verses from Revelation 7:9-12, about the great multitude "from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb."

Such things are worthy of celebration.











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