Old Traditions, Young Pride

Posted by Dornbrau (Colorado Springs, United States) on 2 April 2007 in Lifestyle & Culture and Portfolio.

Each year in March, the city of Denver hosts one of the nation's largest intertribal Native American gatherings. This year 40 native drum groups and over 1700 dancers registered for the 3 day celebration. A former dancer myself, now days I must content myself with taking pictures from the edge of the arena but its hard to resist the rhythm of the drums. This young dancer carries on the traditions passed down to him from his parents and grandparents just as my own children do. Hopefully they in turn will continue the traditions so that it will endure for generations to come.
(My father claims to be part Mesquakie although not enough to register. My husband is Hopi and Maricopa, therefore I say that I am Indian by injection.)

2007 Denver March Grand Entry Slideshow

*Denver March Pow Wow, Denver Colorado

VFXY Photos | Listed on Photoblogs.org

Comments (22)

Amarjit from hoshiarpur, India

wow such a brave try to focus on the little boys face.. such a good shot.. very nice it is ..it is also rare shot ..

2 Apr 2007 12:45am

@Amarjit: Thank you Amarjit. Getting a clear and focused shot of the dancers was almost impossible because of the lighting. I suppose I could easily have used my flash but it would have been annoying to the dancers to have flashes going off in their faces while they tried to dance.

Sujit from India

Wow. What colours.

2 Apr 2007 1:40am

@Sujit: Yes, the colors are amazing aren't they? But the really awesome part of a Pow Wow is the sounds. Its the heavy beat of the drums that reverberate through your body in time with your heart, and the bells... from all sides. Its quite an experience.

Dimitrios from ATHENS, Greece

excellent shot, I have the GREATEST respect for your nations, kind regards from a greek indian!

2 Apr 2007 3:19am

Dornbrau from Colorado Springs, United States

Thank you, with sincere regards to a Greek Indian.

2 Apr 2007 4:33am

Manuela Photography from Hainburg (near Frankfurt/Main), Germany

Wow! Excellent capture... the colours, the movements, the expressions... everything works well together!

2 Apr 2007 5:17am

Evie from Fairfax, United States

What an array of colors! Very nice photo.

2 Apr 2007 7:51am

Yukie from Kyoto, Japan

Awesome! beautiful colours, nice capture...Marvelous photo.

2 Apr 2007 8:25am

Jennifer from Charleston, United States

wonderful.

2 Apr 2007 11:15am

joaobelard from Lisboa, Portugal

nice work!

2 Apr 2007 1:30pm

Zamyad from Iran

What Passion in this shot! Nice.

2 Apr 2007 2:21pm

kaveh from TEHRAN, Iran

wonderful colors and outstanding composition.

2 Apr 2007 4:34pm

shutterbug from barcelona, Spain

wow! so much colour and movement captured in one instant.

2 Apr 2007 5:29pm

Bahar from Toronto, Canada

awesome shot! I wish I could go to one of these celebrations!

2 Apr 2007 10:21pm

Mo from Tehran, Iran

The colors and movement are a source of great excitement for the viewer, yet at the same time, the innocent face of the child calms me.
It's a marvelous photo. Congratulations.

3 Apr 2007 11:16am

Brittney from Utah, United States

Crazy colors. That's really cool. I like how the focus is on the child's face. Nice one!

3 Apr 2007 11:57am

seventhray from Wayland, United States

This is such a wonderful photo! I love the Native American celebrations! They touch me deep within my soul. Wonderful, wonderful photo I would love to see more!

3 Apr 2007 3:19pm

Pedro Ferreira from Portugal

stunning native colors, well done.

3 Apr 2007 5:50pm

Madhavi from Worcester, United States

Amazing shot ... especially the blur indicating movemnet and the sharp focus on the boy. I've been meaning to go for one of these pow wows here in New England but never went. I will, definitely, this year :).

4 Apr 2007 12:20pm

Helen from Melbourne, Australia

Fabulous, fabulous and even more. This photo has taken my breath away. Everyone above has said it all about the technicals, yet on top of that, this photo has swept me into a cultural, emotional maelstrom. I have no words.

4 Apr 2007 4:46pm