Vacation? Stay Local

Gas prices suck?  Can't afford to fly the whole family down to Disney World?  My suggestion is to stay local.  There are a ton of things to do with the family, or even by yourself, right down the road and around the corner.

I spent the weekend down at the Ozark lakes visiting my folks who are retired and living in the area.  We drove over to Eldon, Missouri to enjoy the Osage Inter-tribal Pow Wow.  The nieces and nephews were actually very enthusiastic.  We saw some fantastic costumes and the drum circle was one of the best I've heard. 

After the grand entry, the audience was invited to join the dancers in an inter-tribal friendship dance.  The kids particularly enjoyed getting to dance, examining the beads and blankets on hand and getting to talk to some of the participants.  Those watching and participating were from all different age groups.

Adults might have enjoyed some of the history and information that the announcer provided about the different tribes, the history or meaning of the dances and how, after Wounded Knee and the determination of missionaries to "reform" the tribes, dancing was outlawed.  It largely survived in the memories of the old men and women.  Some were "fortunate" enough to be hired by the traveling western shows like "Buffalo" Bill Cody's "Wild West Show".  Their way of life became entertainment, though the traveling and show provided enough cover they still practiced some of their traditions without interference. 

The ban on dancing was finally lifted in 1930 and the old men tried to put together their dances and remember their stories.  Most of the dances and modern traditions reflect this strange passing period where not every tradition could be completely remembered.  The tribal make up is also reflective of the changes.  Many people who are part of the tribes have different ancestry.  Some are blonde with blue eyes or have red hair or even have shared African American heritage. 

We made the event special by allowing the kids to pick out some beads, feathers and leather thongs to make their own necklaces.  Then my dad found some decent tree limbs and used some other materials to make walking sticks.  At the last pow wow, I bought some small leather pouches and allowed each child to pick out a "spirit stone" (a little stone with an animal carved in it).  Then we put some sage and other items in the bag. 

When we got home, I had them put a small bit of earth in with the rest.  I explained that this was a "medicine bag" that many natives believed would protect them, connect them to their ancestors and to the land.  Many Native Americans who fought in the United States military, such as in World War II, would keep a small pouch of earth from the "sacred lands" with them in case they died in a foreign land.  They believed this connection would help their spirits return to their native lands and to their people. 

Those types of activities are a great and inexpensive way to teach children a little bit about history and enjoy family time together without trying to squeeze in ninety thousand sites, shops and rides at an amusment park.  Plus, they remember it much better and have great memories to share as they get older.  In fact, the previous experience with "medicine bags" was so memorable that the kids have talked about them for the last two years and asked when we were going to go to another Pow Wow. 

Since this is a military blog, I'll point out that the Native American tradition of honoring the warrior has never waned.  These men and women are considered pre-iminent members of the tribe and are given respect accordingly.  Unlike our western European society, post Viet Nam, the Native Americans have never failed to welcome back or honor their warriors.  Bravery, in whatever battles or wars, is looked upon as its own separate virtue. 

I absolutely recommend that people take a look at events happening around where they live and plan their vacations accordingly.   Besides tribal "pow wows", there are often re-enactments or celebrations of local history.  For instance, here we have Santa Fe Trail days and old Shawnee days, an old fort that always has re-enactors showing trapping, cooking and other activities, among the many.  There are some great small museum's around as well such as the Jesse James museum up in Kearney, the Confederate Cemetary in Lone Jack along with a small Civil War museum and the old military Museum over in Fort Leavenworth. 

In fact, two years ago, I took my nieces and nephews to the old, historical cemetary on Fort Leavenworth and we walked around reading the headstones.  While they were somewhat fascinated by the idea of walking on dead people's graves, that was soon superceded by the kind of scavenger hunt we played to see who could find the oldest headstone in the old section of the cemetary.  Of course, old headstones usually carry a little more information or interesting saying than modern headstones. 

We read the different headstones and, again, I pointed out certain famous people's headstones and talked a little bit about history.  Like Thomas Custer, General George Custer's brother, a survivor of Little Big Horn and a Medal of Honor recipient.  Of course, the summer thunderstorm that rolled in with soft warm rain and cannon like boomers echoing across the fort made it pretty exciting, too. 

I can't say that older teenagers would be that excited about such a day trip, but kids between the ages of seven and fourteen seem to like it.  In addition, if you start that kind of tradition, while they might roll their eyes, it might be something that you can continue on as they get older.

So, if you're stressing about not being able to "take a vacation" with the family this year, stay local and put your money back into the communities around where you live.  You might be surprised at how much you get for your dollar and how much you will enjoy those all too fleeting moments of "family".