Louis and the Pow Wow

My friend Louis Pacheco is a proud Native American, a Vietnam veteran who always participates in local pow wows. His people come from Nevada, but he, like me, has settled in Portland, Oregon. Louis invited me and another non-Native friend to the 40th Annual Delta Park Pow Wow today. I took over 500 pictures--dancers whirling their feathers, beads, jingles, and ribbons; crafts; frybread and buffalo burger stands; and masses of spectators, most of them Native American, proudly maintaining their cultures and passing them on to the next generation. I was especially moved when the elders danced and the entire audience stood throughout the dance to show their respect.