Ten Ways to Alleviate the Winter Blues, Native Style

By A. Kay Oxendine

We all know that when pow-wow season ends, our whole psyche changes. Our attitudes suffer from not being around our pow-wow family, our bodies suffer from not being able to dance on a weekly basis, and our voices suffer because we are not using them and exercising our vocals. It can definitely be a calamity.

Well, I am here to help you avert the pow-wow blues. Here are a few suggestions to keep you from suffering from the winter blahs.

• Before you leave your last pow-wow, be sure to take some pictures of your pow-wow family. When you feel blue, just pull them up on your phone or look at them on Facebook.
• Work on a new regalia. There is nothing more exhilarating than creating a new outfit. Use your imagination and break out something that will send everyone oohing and ahhhing at your first pow-wow.
• Begin a winter journal. Writing is so incredibly therapeutic. Write your thoughts, ideas and prayers. When you are feeling blue, pull it out and review it. Create that smile that will carry you into the next day.
• Catch up on your favourite dancer’s and singer’s videos. Watch their moves, and get inspired. Then learn to create your own dance moves. When folks ask you what that was, say it was the Kay hop or Bruce bash. Always reinvent yourself.
• Seek out winter pow-wows and round dances. There are always one or two that happen in January and February in the Northern states. They are a good excuse to get out and dance, no matter how small they may seem.
• Take the time off to see family and friends. Everyone enjoys visiting with you. Go make their day and share some of your time with them. You will not be able to find the time after pow-wow season kicks back in. Go enjoy them now on your down time.
• Be sure to get outside as often as you can. Breathing fresh air is healthy for you. Seek sunlight whenever you can. I know this winter has already been unbearably cold for many of us, but just going out for a few minutes can help your attitude. Just remember to breathe in and out.
• Offer your assistance with others on your specialty. If you are a master beader or regalia maker, create a video of your work or hold a workshop to help others. This is also a great idea for champion dancers and singers. Whether you charge or not, is up to you, but what you want to share is priceless to the recipient.
• Speak to your tribe about starting a ceremonial fire, a sweat lodge or a place to come together and pray as a group. Creating a sacred fire has been shown to bring forth a great amount of healing in many Native communities. All it takes is a suggestion to make things happen. Then remember to most definitely pray for all that you love and care about.
• Clip out this column and review it. Put it on your refrigerator. Copy it with your phone. Share it on Facebook. Make an effort to keep yourself and your loved ones from the winter pow-wow blues.

These are merely suggestions to keep our minds from that dark place that invades so many of our Native communities during the off pow-wow season. Unfortunately for many, the dark times stay longer than the light ones. But I encourage you all to make an effort, that if you find yourself falling into a valley, to not camp there. Seek that mountain, visualize it and attempt to climb it. Before you know it, you will conquer that darkness, and your light will be so bright, you will need some sunglasses.