Powwow Quotes

“Orvil mainly listens to powwow music. There's something in the energy of that big booming drum, in the intensity of the singing, like an urgency that feels specifically Indian. He likes the power the sound of a chorus of voices makes too, those high-pitched wailed harmonies, how you can't tell how many singers there are, and how sometimes it sounds like ten singers, sometimes like a hundred.”
― Tommy Orange, There There

“The powwow was a Crown-free space. It breathed life. It celebrated what things were before and what they would be for eternity.”
― Antonio Michael Downing, Saga Boy: My Life of Blackness and Becoming

“Four kids in T-shirts and jeans jam on a powwow stage. They’re grinning, bouncing, fully engaged with their music, each other, and the relaxed crowd. I’m splitting fry bread with a cousin as we cheer on the band, and across the tent, a young girl reading a paperback catches my eye.
In that moment, I wish for more characters like those kids in the pages of children’s books.
This anthology is a fulfillment of that wish.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids: An Indigenous Collection About Friendship, Heritage, and Pride for Kids

“Returning the phone, she said, “You’re an artist.”
The whole train seemed to shimmer. The stars shone brighter out the window.
Ray knew Grampa and his art teacher believed in him, but nobody had ever said, “You’re an artist.” Just like that. Let alone someone his own age. Maybe Mel wasn’t easy to get to know, but she sure did have a kind heart.”
― Cynthia Leitich Smith, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids: An Indigenous Collection About Friendship, Heritage, and Pride for Kids