<P> The word "pow wow" is derived from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader". A number of different tribes claim to have held the "first" pow wow . Initially, public dances that most resemble what we now know as pow wows were most common in the Great Plains region of the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a time when the United States government fragmented many Native communities in the hopes of acquiring land for economic exploitation . In 1923, Charles Burke, Commissioner of Indian Affairs in the United States, passed legislation modeled off of Circular 1665, which he published in 1921, that limited the times of the year in which Native Americans could practice traditional dance, which he deemed as directly threatening the Christian religion . However, many Native communities continued to gather together in secret to practice their cultures' dance and music, in defiance of this, and other, legislation . By the mid-nineteenth century, pow wows were also being held in the Great Lakes region . </P> <P> Planning for a pow wow generally begins months, perhaps even a year, in advance of the event by a group of people usually referred to as a pow wow committee . Pow wows may be sponsored by a tribal organization, by an American Native community within an urban area, a Native American Studies program or American Native club on a college or university campus, tribe, or any other organization that can provide startup funds, insurance, and volunteer workers . </P> <P> A pow wow committee consists of a number of individuals who do all the planning prior to the event . If a pow wow has a sponsor, such as a tribe, college, or organization, many or all members of the committee may come from that group . The committee is responsible to recruit and hire the head staff, publicize the pow wow, secure a location, and recruit vendors who pay for the right to set up and sell food or merchandise at the pow wow . </P> <P> The head staff of a pow wow are the people who run the event on the day or days it actually occurs . They are generally hired by the pow wow committee several months in advance, as the quality of the head staff can affect attendance . To be chosen as part of the head staff is an honor, showing respect for the person's skills or dedication . </P>

Where did the word pow wow come from