Behind the Outback ~ A Nomadic Journey
Act II
I want to begin here by praising and thanking Creator for everything provided thus far. Our Journey has Already been very Blessed.
Secondly, for my Facebook Friends, I want to explain the meaning of “Pow Wow Hangover” because ALL Pow Wows are Drug and Alcohol Free. What I mean when I say that is; the day or days after a Really Good and Spiritual Pow wow, one that we have met many people, had good events happen and participated in with the sponsors, we can get very drained physically & mentally and I compare it to a hangover.
Please read this full blog at http://spiderwrulf.multiply.com/journal
Scene I
7 July 2009 ~ Travel day, rather uneventful except for a squeeze play first thing as we left the preserve. A Semi hauling a house (wide load) came ‘round the bend at us on the back country road leading back to the Highway. Ken had to take the camper off road and into the shoulder ditch so they could squeeze by and I tell ya, it was INCHES between them. I was so busy praying and watching with wide open eyes, I forgot to snap pics DUH – they would have been good.
We travelled through a small town named Gaffney, and over the 4th of July in that town they had 5 people killed by a serial killer. People were very scared and it was all over the news. They caught the guy and killed him in another town called Gastonia just a day before we drove through.
Scene II
Forest Lake Preserve ~ Advance, North Carolina
Well, we arrived at the preserve; we had stayed here several times last year. We like the “Redneck Loop”** Section but this year they had a sign stating ‘50 amp Only, $3 per day’. Well, we thought we couldn’t set-up there so we came out to another section (found out later we could have gone there Grrr)
** “Redneck Loop” (full-timers lingo) This is the section of the Preserve (campground) that is furthest away from all Amenities (Pool, Lodge, Lake etc...) It is usually very wooded and the tent campers usually prefer to camp there. We like it mostly because we can walk the dogs without much incident of Golf Carts and such. For those you who do not know our Little Wolf, she despises Golf Carts and goes into a Berserker Rage whenever she see’s one.
9 July 2009 ~ Bethabara Park (pronounced Beth-AB- ra, don’t ask me they say things funny here LOL) Set-up day for the Pow Wow. It was really Great to see all our extended family in Winston-Salem again. We finished setting the shop up just before the rain came, and we drove back to the preserve each night. These pow wows up here are usually only daytime. So we didn’t set up any lights in the shop and didn’t bring the camper to the grounds.
Scene III
Strong Sun Pow Wow ~ July 10 – 12, 2009
**One note, my brother Nightwolf & Raven had gifted me a little wooden box that said, “old Fashioned Peppermint Candies” It was a trick and when you slide the lid, a rubber Spider flips out and touches your hand. Well, we had a Blast watching people’s curiosity get the best of them. Actually had one Screamer too!! I snapped a couple of pictures of some of the kids, but I need to try and catch a video of it.
The Pow wow was really Awesome, a little bigger than last year. I absolutely Love the People up here, all weekend I had only 2 customers that haggled over price with me. It is the exact Opposite in Floriduh, I usually only get 2 people that DON’T haggle over price all weekend!!
Ric Bird was MC, and **Just a note to anyone who may not know. Ric and Ramona’s 21 year old son was in a camping accident and got burned over 30% of his body. He had come out of Intensive Care and was home. Ramona was not able to come to the Pow wow she stayed home to take care of him. Please Pray for his recovery and comfort, Ken will tell you – a Burn is THE Worst Pain.
We had 3 Drums this weekend; Bird Chopper, Dry Creek Medicine Singers, and Na-Ma-Wo-Chi. Take a look at my videos on YouTube and check them out. They were all great! (Please note, I am wireless so I have slow uploads, so if you do not see the videos at the time of this reading, bookmark http://www.youtube.com/spiderwrulf and check back)
The most Notable event this weekend for the Pow wow Sponsors, the Nuluti Equani Ehi Tribe, was when the MC read the Proclamation by the Governor of the State of North Carolina.
Native American Weekend 2009
WHEREAS, the ancestors of the Nuluti Equani Ehi Tribe and Bethabara Settlers did enter into a White Feather Treaty of 1753 for the purpose of protection, friendship and growth, which led to the establishment of what is now known as Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and
WHEREAS, the White Feather Treaty created a bond between the people of this region that promotes peace, unity and respect for the cultural heritages of all people; the treaty provided a foundation that has allowed Winston-Salem and Historic Bethabara to be a thriving part of North Carolina for 255 years; and
WHEREAS, the White Feather Treaty was rededicated and ratified during the 2008 Strong Sun Pow Wow and Festival at Historic Bethabara solidifying more than 250 years of friendship and cultural understanding; and
WHEREAS, THE Nuluti Equani Ehi Tribe and Historic Bethabara Park will celebrate 255 years of peace, friendship and growth at the 2009 Strong Sun Pow Wow;
NOW, THEREFORE, I BEVERLY EAVES PERDUE, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim July 10 – 12, 2009 as “Native American Weekend” in North Carolina and urge our citizens to commend its observance.
We had 2 Fancy Feather Dancers this weekend, one of which was a Woman!!! She was Great!! I have a video and pictures of her in the circle. Ric explains that it is sometimes met with controversy, but really this dance is a “made-up” dance and not a sacred dance and that is why it is OK for a woman to do it. As a woman Firefighter, I Love seeing women with the courage to follow their passion HOKA!!!
Of course my Grass Dancers are Always the best (in my mind anyways) The video I have of them is at a unique angle. All the Dancers were wonderful. We were so very Blessed that so many of them remembered us and came and visited in the shop. As I say, it was just a Wonderful “Kick-Off” Pow Wow for our Summer Travels. Please see the pictures here on Multiply or Bookmark my Flickr photo Albums and check them out full size. http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiderwrulf/sets/
On Sunday Michael, the Chief’s Grandson, finally slowed down and spent some time in the shop with me. He is a really Great young man, helping everyone at the pow wow. Well it took Michael and I about 20 minutes to get the string tied around the leg of this June Bug he caught, but it was worth it because the people in the shop were getting a kick out of it as well. Check out the video:
http://trunc.it/vgh7 
End ACT II
~ gonna get beading today and tomorrow.
. The dot com calendar has been updated with more Florida pow wows, there is a new one in Jacksonville too. Also, I have slowly been uploading my videos to you tube, so please check them out. 
