At the suggestion of a Navajo artist I met in October, I went to this Pow Wow to see if I could photograph the dancers. I arrived mid-afternoon, apparently during a break in the events of the day. I wandered in and looked around, and wasn't quite sure what to do. I had never been to one of these before. This was in the rec hall of a Methodist church. Not what I was expecting. I was thinking this would be outdoors. Don't know why I thought that, but I just did. I guess it might have been because most of my experiences with American Native people in my early years were mostly either outdoors or in more "rustic" surroundings, like inside a hogan. But those times were on the reservations, in Arizona and New Mexico, where those people have lived for centuries. This was indoors, under artificial light, with not the most interesting of backgrounds.

Anyway, I half-thought about chickening out and getting back in my car and driving home, but a voice in my head said "no, stay and pursue this." I had listened to half of the book of Revelation on CD on the way down, and I had been praying that God would show me what to do. So I walked over to the stage, where there was a middle-aged guy who looked like he was in charge. He was sitting talking to another, younger, guy, who was dressed very impressively in full leather, beads and feathers. I introduced myself to the middle-aged guy, and he introduced himself as Benjamin, the emcee of the day's events. We began to talk, and I found that we had a few important things in common. Benjamin told me of some of the Native American symbolism and how it points to Jesus as the Christ, the one who died as a sacrifice for the sins of mankind. The eagle with its wings spread in flight has the shape of a cross, and the 12 tail feathers represent the 12 apostles. We talked for almost half an hour about really cool things like how the Native People had the culture, and the stories, and the symbolism that point to Jesus, but were waiting for the Bible to come to tell them about Him.

I asked Benjamin if I could be permitted to take pictures, and he told me this wasn't necessarily the best time to do it, as they were about to start the gourd dancing, which is sometimes not permitted to be photographed. I couldn't stay until the main ceremony and intertribal dances, as my kids were going to be singing at the church that night and I had to be back for that. So he said he would ask the head dancer if photography would be permitted for the gourd dances.

I waited a bit, and the word came back "yes." So I went back out to the car, fed the meter some more quarters, and grabbed my camera bag and came back in ready to start shooting.

These shots are not what I would call great pictures at all. But I didn't want to intrude into the space of the dancers, drummers and singers any more than I already had been allowed, so I kept my distance. Maybe at the next pow wow I'll be a little more bold and ask for permission to do portrait sittings, or maybe the setting will be more according to my "vision." I was picturing an outdoor setting with the sunset in the background, and being able to crosslight against the sunset. Portrait sittings would be especially nice, if I can find willing subjects.

Anyway, the idea here, if you're one of the subjects of the photographs, is that if you like what you see you can order some prints. And maybe I'll get some better pictures next time.

I've always had a respect for Native Americans, since spending a little time on the reservations of the Navajo and Hopi as a child. They have been marginalized too much, and suffered so much. They are a beautiful people and I hope to be able to capture some of their beauty. This first attempt falls short of the idea I have in my head, but I'll keep trying.