While I was staying in Temecula I discovered the yearly “Pow-Wow “ would be taking place, the Pow-Wow is a meeting of all the Indian (Native American) tribes from hundreds of miles around.
It is a wonderful sight to see, hundreds of men, women and children all dressed in full authentic Indian dress, many of the men sporting eagle feathers as part of the dress, a mass of colour.
Apart from the many stalls selling Indian clothing of all types and strange food, the main attraction is a combination of constant drumming and dancing.
For two days from morning to dusk, the absolutely intoxicating beat of many drums beating out a steady beat suitable for tribal dancing.
Drumming is a competition in itself, many tribes take turns to beat their version of a war dance or whatever, those dancing, all wearing a number, are also very seriously competing in different types of dance right up to full war dance.
To see the whole arena slowly revolve in slow intricate footsteps, no two dancers touching, it is all isolated dancing, and the constant loud beating of the drums, no smiling faces, it is all far too important.
I attended the Pow-Wow both days, I had never seen or heard anything like this before, I was quite thrilled by the whole spectacle, I really felt I was in the Wild West.
During the Pow-Wow smoke was visible in the air, not from any form of Indian cooking or smoke signal but from a brush fire about a mile away across the interstate 15, it was getting closer all the time, the smoke got so bad they closed the interstate.
It was obviously getting serious so the water bombers were brought in, 4 of them, it was fascinating watching them as they swoop down the side of a hill at low level, dropping their red cloud of fire retardant on the fire.
As well as the bombers a helicopter was used, constantly filling its bucket from a lake in the nearby golf course every fifteen minutes.
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