Reservation Preservation: Powwow Dance, Radio and the Inherent Dilemma of the Preservation Process

Abstract: In this dissertation, I have studied Native North American reservations and why they still exist. My research was carried out with the Ojibway, Lakota and Métis peoples in the Midwestern region of the USA and Canada. I chose three reservations with public radio facilities and one reserve community without radio in order to complete this investigation. Also, I have examined and described the Powwow Drum dance on these reservations. In this section, I have focused on the historical nature of this cultural event as well as its modern invitation perspective for both the reservation and the non-Indian public to better understand them. The third section takes up relevant issues as Native Canadian language and media resources. Moreover, the difficult dilemma for those reservation communities to be preserved in relative isolation from mainstream North America must still be addressed and resolved in a more permanent way. Finally, this book is evidence of Native North American survival in both the USA and Canada.