Indian Summer Festival.....

Tom & I attended this festival last year & I really enjoyed it so wanted to come again--Tom not so much, as he would rather be home having a beer--but, like last year, he came along with me anyway & I appreciate it! This year we watched the grand entrance to the Pow-Wow which I have to say was really something! Indians who served in the military carried American Flags as part of the honor guard, along with the elders of so many tribes, who all carried their Eagle feather staffs. The Eagle was very important in indian culture--they believe the Creator made all the birds of the sky first, when the world was new. Of all the birds, the Creator chose the Eagle to be the leader....the Master of the Sky! It flies highter & sees better than any other bird, so it's perspective is different from all other creations that are held close to the earth. The Eagle is revered by traditional American Indians as a symbol of honesty, truth, majesty, strength, courage, wisdom, power & freedom. Eagle feathers were awarded to Indian braves, warriors & chieftains for extreme acts of valor & bravery. These feathers were difficult to come by & were earned one at a time. The feathers, even today, are always treated with great respect. The honor guard was followed in by Indians of all tribes in traditional dress, singing & dancing around the arena...the Chippewa, the Onieda, the Menominie, the Potawatamie, the Ojibwe, the Sauk, the Fox, the Ottawa, the Ho-Chunk & the Huron...& probably more that I've forgotten to mention. After the Pow-Wow as we were walking we saw this Indian man who so graciously posed for me along the shores of Lake Michigan! Seems so fitting, as the land was theirs long before the rest of us came along! (Note all the Eagle feathers in his regalia) :))