Andy Jackson, a citizen of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and an organizer of the Water Walk, points out a spot on around the lake that grows natural medicines, located on Gage Street in Dowagiac. Off the Water photo/ALY GIBSON

The 27th annual Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow will unite traditional dance and cultural drumming and singing over Labor Day weekend.

The pow wow, which serves as a competitive arena for dancers and drumming circles, will also feature cultural vendors, speakers and food. Beginning Saturday, Sept. 1, visitors will be able to shop and explore the Potawatomi culture. At 1 p.m., the grand entry of dancers, complete with drumming and singing, will open up the ceremony, followed by a second entry at 6 p.m.

Sunday will also feature another grand entry of dancers at noon. The pow wow is held at the Band’s Rodger’s Lake campus, 58620 Sink Rd., in Dowagiac. For more information, visit www.pokagonpowwow.com.

Pow Wow set to beat of drum

For John Warren and his son, John T. Warren, drumming has been a part of their lives for decades.

So has the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians’ Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow, which begins Saturday and will feature the father-son drummers along with other drum circles.

John T., 35, who is distinguished from his father by his middle initial, was raised around drummers and singers. He began playing when he was just 6 years old.

“I’m very passionate about it and it makes me feel good to do it,” John T. said. “It’s a stress reliever.”

Warren, while familiar with the tradition since he was young, didn’t get started until later in life after he felt something was missing. After a visit to elder tribal member Clarence White, that all changed.

“Clarence had a dream that young people of the tribe would come to him, so he made a drum,” Warren said Monday. “He made it in 1972 and I showed up in 1985.”

From that point, John involved himself and his son in drumming, which also includes singing. But according to Warren, the drum is not a musical instrument. John T. describes it as a “ceremonial tool.”

“It is the tool we use,” Warren said. “I call the drum ‘grandmother.’”

Warren said the drum is viewed as the heartbeat of the Potawatomi people. After the first drum was given to a woman, she then gave it to a little boy and entrusted him with the protection of the heartbeat, hence the term “grandmother.”

“The drum sits in the center of us and is placed on cedar, which is a woman’s protection medicine,” Warren said. “I view the drum as female.”

Warren and John T. have made records of their songs and have traveled all over the country, using vacation time from their day jobs to attend other pow wows and drumming opportunities. Among songs that the group performs, some are declared social songs for dancing, prayer songs or honor songs.

“I’m a songmaker,” John T. said. “I began making songs when I was 6 and you chant what you feel at that time. Then I record it and we all learn to play it.”

Currently, the duo is part of group of eight singers called Ribbon Town.

“I initially grew up in South Bend and that’s where John T. was born,” Warren said. “South Bend is called Ribbon Town, so we stuck with that name.”

John T. also said that anyone who joins the drum circle must be honest and clean.

“Everyone who sits down at that drum has to have a clean mind, body and spirit,” John T. said.

Warren said one of the main reasons he continues to drum and sing is because it serves a purpose in the Potawatomi community.

“As human begins, we desire to belong to something,” Warren said. “I’m part of something that gives back to the community and is a multi-generational bridge between children and elders. It’s a euphoric feeling.”

The Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow begins Saturday at the Rodgers Lake campus, 58620 Sink Rd., Dowagiac. Vendors and cultural presenters will be set up Saturday morning before the grand entry of dancers and singers begins at 1 p.m.

Potter ready to present

For the third year in a row, pottery artist and Pokagon Band of Potawatomi citizen Kathy Getz Fodness will offer ornate, yet functional, pieces at the 27th annual Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow.

Fodness began working in pottery when she was in high school, but took a long hiatus when she entered the professional working world. About four years ago, she delved back into the artistry and began taking classes and honing her skills at the South Bend Museum of Art.

“I like to create things that are beautiful and functional,” Fodness said. “I’m such a practical person; I want to make things that can do something, as well as be beautiful to look at.”

The functional approach to her pottery has also helped Fodness find a broader market.

“I can appeal to some who like the decorative side, and I have something for those who want to justify their purchase by buying something they can use,” Fodness said.

This year’s pow wow, which takes place over Labor Day weekend, will be the third opportunity for Fodness to participate as a vendor. After some coaxing, Fodness, a lifelong attendee of the annual pow wow, decided to become a vendor and sell her pottery.

“I used to go every year as a spectator, but it’s never been a better time to be an artist in the Band,” Fodness said. “With our growth and expansion, I’ve been able to create pieces for new buildings, and it’s been such a wonderful experience.”

Some of the pieces t Fodness said she was excited to display include her current favorite: a turtle vase with “beautiful glazing.”

“I love bright, eye-catching colors, so I often use a turquoise glaze,” Fodness said. “I have a whole line of turtle pieces, and I’m really excited to have them at the pow wow.”

The opportunity to work at the South Bend Museum of Art, where Fodness said so many people are available to lend a helping hand, has also helped the artist recognize where her inspiration comes from.

“It’s the same thing with the tribe … so many people lend their hand,” Fodness said. “They feed my inspiration.”

The Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa Pow Wow takes place Sept. 1-2, with gates opening at 10 a.m. both days at the Pokagon Band’s pow wow arena, 58620 Sink Rd., Dowagiac.  For more information, visit www.pokagonpowwow.com.