Puma played a song on the flute as people came to Ontelaunee Park for the annual powwow on May 20.

The drummers, Eagle Thunder and Midnight Elk, were setting up their drums soon after the morning rain stopped.

Barry Lee, the announcer, said it was his 18th year for announcing intertribal dances. They come from many nations. Differences in regalia indicate their home nation.

Lee talked about the Pan Indian boarding schools begun in the mid 1879 that tried to assimilate the tribes into white culture.

The best known of these was Carlisle, famed for producing Olympian Jim Thorpe.

Barbara Christy, Lee’s wife, is treasurer of the Carlisle Indian School Project.

She said Carlisle was a military-type school whereas most of the other schools were based on religion.

The project has begun working toward erecting a museum to tell the stories of the schools, not only Carlisle but all of the Indian schools.

She said 2018 will be the 100th anniversary of the Carlisle school closing and work has begun on an interpretive center and museum. She would like to see it across from the Education Center.

There were 40 schools throughout the country. A lot of children died at the boarding schools. The 10,606 students at Carlisle came from multiple tribes.

It will be a big thing and we will meet with the Congress of the American Indian in Connecticut on June 13 to begin fundraising, she said.

“Our mission is to authentically tell the story and give voice to the Indian children who attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and create a place for all people to learn of this country’s boarding school era through creation of a Heritage Center,” Christy said.

Lee, who lives in Phoenixville, said at a powwow, they try to have good time.

“Goodness gracious, we know how to laugh,” he said. It is a Native American festival, a thing used for respect.

Dancing is part of that and sometimes there are healing dances, he explained.

He said the cadence of vocal music identifies a nation just as the spoken language is different.

In the Eastern Woodlands there was a matriarchal society which built a strong community.

Lee said the Eastern Woodland regalia is boring without the color used in the West. Some of those members come to Ontelaunee Park, too.

The Delaware and Lenape, called the Munsee in Canada, were independent till the early 1700s and then all aligned with the Lenape.

Elk Spirit Bass opened the ceremony with a prayer.

“We are one group of people here because you want to and we want to,” he said. “The one above is here, too. To be able to sing and to dance, we are all family created because all are equal.”

Ernie Strong Bear checked the fire in the center of the dance ring is burning properly.

Strong Bear said he was chosen because his elders respect him and expect him to care for the fires and whatever is needed around the homes.

Elk Spirit Bass and Diane Hummingbird Woman led the dancing and helped other members with regalia and learning the dances.

For the grand entry attendees are asked to remove their hats unless they have raptor feathers in them and are wearing regalia.

Later dancers invite visitors to the powwow to participate whether or not they can dance and with whatever clothing they are wearing.

After the grand entry there was a Veterans Dance honoring the Army, Navy, MIA, Marines, Coast Guard, Air Force and first responders.

“Give us this opportunity to say thank you,” Lee said.