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Brighton Seminole Reservation holds 77th Annual Field Day/Rodeo
For the first-time visitor to a Native American Pow Wow, the experience is an explosion of color. Tribal dance groups come from all over the United States and Canada, decked out in brilliant feathers and beadwork, whirling around the amphitheater to the sound of drums.
Dozens upon dozens of vendors set up booths with their wares--beadwork jewelry, colorful patchwork long shirts and skirts, leatherwork, native dolls, and food of every kind.
Visitors can sit on the wooden benches or picnic tables and watch children run by in bright skirts, and old women sitting under Indian blankets.
At the arena, the announcer tries to draw the crowd to watch 40 "Extreme Bulls." This reporter figures that she can see rodeos at home, so she opts for the alligator wrestlers and the dance groups from the various tribes.
The ceremony begins with a remarkable color guard, consisting of a Marine carrying the American flag, a group called the Lakota Women Warriors, consisting of retired military women. It is an impressive and solemn procession.
What follows is a colorful series of native dance performances, performed by nationally-recognized troupes in dazzling costumes of unbelievable brilliance.
Another popular crowd favorite follows the dancing, as two well-known Seminole alligator wrestlers come out in the arena with two enormous gators. The wrestlers hail from the Big Cypress Seminole reservation, where they have honed their skills at the Billie Swamp Safari. These men are the experts. One of them even shows the crowd how to put an alligator to sleep on his back!
The three-day event, which takes place in Brighton, FL, in mid-February, sold 10,000 tickets on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015. It is a popular affair.
A visitor will not soon forget this brilliant spectacle.
