Connecting With the Past

Aldridge Gardens in Hoover whisks us away to the past with the annual Native American event Whispers from the Past, bringing more than 15,000 people each year. This year it Whispers from the Past took place on Sunday, Oct. 7. The focus of the event is to expose families and friends to the culture, traditions and lives of the past and present day Native American tribes.

Throughout the day, the garden offered plenty of hands-on activities to attempt. Like Loom Beading, Gourd decorating and Cherokee Leaf Pounding. My personal favorites were Loom Beading and Cherokee Leaf Pounding. Bead weaving has been practiced by the Ojibwa tribe for many years.

In Loom Beading, you have a wood structure with six strings attached down the middle then you string seven beads through a needle placing them between the six strings, taking the needle through the beads carefully under the strings. Eventually, you create a beautiful pattern which can be wore as a bracelet.

In Cherokee Leaf Pounding you choose any type of leaf and lay it on a piece fabric, taping it down completely then using a rock you pound across the leaf until it bleeds though to the other side.

Surrounding these activities were vendors where people could purchase authentic native food, jewelry, beadwork and other crafts. The items ranged from colorful handmade colorful dreamcatchers to delicious fried bread sprinkled with powdered sugar.  

The highlight of the event was the unique Native American Powwow dancers. Native Powwow dancing is believed to originated from the war dance societies of the Ponca tribe and other southern plains tribes. Pow Wow’s are ways for various tribes to gather together and share songs and culture. Each native dancer is dressed in a variety of colored headdresses, feathers and dresses to honor their tribes.

A very important part of Powwow dancing is the Powwow singers because there wouldn’t be dancing without them. Often, songs are sung in vocables, no words so all tribes could join Powwows.

During the dance, dancers formed a circle while dancing which represents the cycle of life. They moved in a clockwise motion to follow the direction of the sun.

Throughout the event, the Powwow Dancers performed different dance styles like traditional, grass and fancy. In the traditional dance, dancers wore long feathers, eagle feathers, attached to their waist. The grass dance is graceful to mimic the flowing of prairie grass. Dancers wore strands of yarn or ribbons that hung from their arms, waist and legs. Also, in competitions dancers must do the same movement on both sides or they lose points.

The Fancy style dancing is the most active and athletic dance. Dancers wore colored regalia (a tassel dress) and have bustles (eagle wings) behind their backs. The singers may attempt to trick the dancer by adding an unexpected last beat.

Overall, Whispers from the Past was both entertaining and educational. Aldridge Gardens provided a great atmosphere for families to have fun and learn about Native American culture and traditions. It was an opportunity for everyone to explore a different heritage or their own heritage.