Dancing With Lawrence the Eagle

Spent most of my afternoon at the Gray Animal Refuge Pow Wow - Honor the Animals.

Haven't been out to a pow wow in well over a year. My ribbon shirt and belt, which is most all the regalia I wear, were still on their hangers from the move to my current apartment, my dance staff still leaning on the wall behind the bathroom door.

The tech staff had a meeting at the Orchard today, mostly policy updates and best practices. I learned a lot. Oh, and donuts too.

So I headed up directly after, a 30-minute or so drive.

Unlike other pow wows I've been to this one did not let dancers in for free. It was being held in the animal park and so admission was controlled by the staff. I got the impression that a lot of events were held there and that we were just part of a continuing marketing stream rather than a unique happening.

I'll have to go back when it's just a park; I'm sure it's a really great facility - there just was not time to enjoy it for it's own merits.

There were three drums in the arbor, one local, another from Northern Maine and the third from out of state. I immediately started running into friends I'd not seen in a year and felt welcome immediately.

I never really learned fancy dancing when I was living back home - mostly I'm what's known as a men's straight dancer, tall with a dignified step, an elder by bearing, and now, by years.

Or so I thought - seems I was the only really middle-aged man in the Grand Entrance. All the others were much older.

So I wonder where all the young bucks were. Imteresting.

Our most interesting participant was the resident Bald Eagle, one Lawrence, by name.

I'd only seen pictures. Today I got a chance to see an eagle up close and very, VERY personal as I was standing in the entryway when he was brought in.

Instructions were specific. We stayed still and did not move, especially dancers with bustles and large feathered tops since those could be mistaken for small animals.

There have been incidents of dancers being mistaken for small animals and the bird, eagle-eyed though he was, had an aspect that made you think he was thinking how you would go with ketchup.

A very large bird, a top-of-the-food-chain raptor, a descendant of velociraptor, a killing machine who could perch on the end of my outstretched arm and easily, gracefully take my nose cleanly off my face in one lightening lunge.

For those sensitive to such things it was clear we were NOT at the top of the food chain.

For those not so sensitive, Lawrence was just something to photograph, a thing that was there to be observed and delighted over, respected even - but something not part of the immediate world.

Watching people watch the world, not as active participants but behind emotional glass, looking at it, snapping pics and then going on their way back to their own insulated pocket universe - it was maddening

I'm surprised at the vehemance of my reaction, but it's a very real thing.

For example, you should not take pics during the first three dances of a pow wow - the Grand Entrance, the Flag Song and the Veteran's Honor Song. These are considered real ceremonies and not just excuses to show off the singing talent of the local high school junior All-State soprano.

Still, today despite numerous announcements, there were still people taking pics as we went around. I had to walk up to the rope and tell them - we were past asking - to not take them.

I hate to admit how satisfying it was to do it. But it was satisfying.

Respect. Connection. Not nessecarily in that order.




-- Post From My iPad