INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Bear hides, dream catchers, and Indian fry bread were all in high demand this weekend at the Thunder on the Beach PowWow 2014 event at the Indian River County Fairgrounds.
Dona Chesser, founder of the event, said she organized the first Thunder on the Beach PowWow 11 years ago, after taking part in the Vero Beach PowWow for several years prior.
According to Chesser, the event is the perfect educational vehicle for people, especially children, to learn, understand and respect the many cultures, customs and traditions of American Indians.
Many families at the event said they make it a priority to teach their young children about their Native heritage.
Harry and Theresa Littlebird’s youngest son was even included in the men’s Northern Traditional Dance at the event on Saturday afternoon. He is only one month old.
Harry Littlebird is of Northern Cheyenne decent and grew up on a reservation in Montana. Now, according to Theresa Littlebird, the family travels to take part in Powwows nearly every weekend. They have traveled as far as Germany.
Judith Hassey, a highly sought-after story teller at the event, is 80 years old and still sharing her seemingly infinite wisdom on everything from how to stop a bleeding wound to how to deter bears from a campsite.
Hassey is Algonquin and a descendant, through her grandfather, of Marquis de Lafayette, a French general in the American Revolutionary War.
Hassey grew up on a reservation in Pennsylvania in a portion of the Appalachian Mountains. Her Indian name is Mariah, but she was forced to take a Christian name at a young age in order to enroll in school, she said.
Now, Hassey listens to questions of all shapes and sizes, and she answers them.
“No matter what age, I even talk to babies in diapers, all the way up to people who live to be 100,” Hassey said.
Whether you are trying to grow your hair longer, looking for natural ways to heal skin wounds, or want to know the best way to line a baby’s diaper, Hassey will gladly give you an answer.
Another vendor, Diane Buz, also known as Bear Hug, travels to Powwows in order to honor her grandmother’s Navajo side of the family.
“I’m the bone collector girl,” Buz said.
Buz spends her time in fields, farms, and woods, collecting the bones of deceased animals, and crafting them into something beautiful.
“If it’s dead, I try to bring it back to a spiritual place,” Buz said.
Buz embodies the attitude of the Thunder on the Beach PowWow event. She considers herself “Intertribal,” meaning that even though she represents a particular tribe, she is accepting and welcoming of all tribes and all people.
Buz and Hassey are two vendors of many, each with their own story to tell. According to Chesser, by Noon on Saturday, the event was packed to the max with vendors.
“We’re all out of real estate,” Chesser said with a smile.
Thunder on the Beach will continue Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Admission prices are $8 for adults, $4 for children under 12, $4 for seniors 55 and older, and children under five get in free.
Tickets are purchased at the gate and tickets can be used for re-entry at any time on the same day they are purchased.