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| Photo: Eric Oesch |
When I turned to my mother seated beside me, I was taken aback when I saw tears on her face. I had expected her to be smiling and excited at what we were sharing that summer day in Oklahoma City in the early ’90s. The year before, I had been in one of these seats but this was her first time attending the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival.
“What’s the matter?” I asked. “Why are you crying?”
“Because it’s so beautiful and because it means so much more than just colorful costumes and interesting music,” she said. “There’s something sacred about it – you can feel that.”
Yes, you could definitely feel it. The spiritual threads woven through the music and movement were impossible to miss, as hundreds of dancers from Native American tribes around the country and Canada poured into the arena during the first Grand Entry of the Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival in Oklahoma City. And that was just the beginning of three days of dance competition.
“Red Earth is unique in that we feature Northern and Southern styles of dance, singing and music, with Southern being what we find in Oklahoma,” said Eric Oesch, director of communications for Red Earth Inc.
The festival is a celebration of the creative spirit that manifests itself in song, dance and regalia.
The festival is a celebration of the creative spirit that manifests itself in song, dance and regalia. With just one dancer, that spirit vibrates with color and movement; it was almost overwhelming when the arena floor filled with dancers. The dancers were vying to be named the ultimate in power or grace or both in various dance styles, including Jingle Dress, Fancy Shawl, Northern Fancy and Southern Buckskin. Juniors, teens, adults and seniors competed in age-based categories.
And there was more. In addition to masters of dance presenting art in motion, masters in basketry, beadwork, jewelry, fiber, pottery, sculpture and two-dimensional art in various media turned parts of the Cox Convention Center into a museum for those who just wanted to look and a gallery for those who wished to purchase. About 200 artists made it into the juried competition and sale, Oesch said.
Red Earth founders were among the first to combine a competitive dance event and a fine art market to create what has become a starred attraction, a destination, in every guidebook to Oklahoma, Oesch said. Their vision draws more than 20,000 people each year. The event’s popularity has led to many imitators, but none has approached Red Earth’s popularity or its breadth of events.
But wait – there’s still more. Within the art market was a cultural performance stage, upon which musicians, singers, poets and storytellers served up aural side dishes to enhance our visual feast. And some attendees started the day with an early morning 5K run or 2K walk in Regatta Park. That way they didn’t have to feel guilty about enjoying the treats from the various food vendors. (Indian tacos, anyone?)
And I have to tell you that, during that early Red Earth experience, while my mom was being moved, my young son was being moved as well. With a serious look in his eyes and a smile on his face, he was in the aisle, paying his own kind of homage to the power of the drums and the voices.
