39th Annual University of South Dakota Wacipi

Mea B'fly Designs First Powwow of 2011

To say the least- Yes! South Dakota is far from the lil Ndn lady sweat shop (my home) aka Mea B'fly factory BUT it was definately worth it because not only was it an opportunity to Sell my Hearts content but visit the reason my heart beats- Family <3 As many of you know I've got me a left hand Winnebago/HoChunk/Omaha Baby Daddy and his roots are from right down the road of Vermillion, SD.

We pulled up to USD Powwow- Fashionably Late ;)- but it was fine because I actually got put in a nice location!! This year's Wacipi had a full and packed house!! They held the powwow upstairs in a common's type area- a little reception area and hallway greeted you full of vendors- otter tails, quillwork, teeshirts, beadwork, and finally us.The halls were full and steady of beautiful faces coming and going from entrance to entrance trying to find a place to sit and watch the powwow but that space was non existent after Grand Entry! The powwow area was small- it was seriously the size of a little church gym and trying to pack 20 drums in, dancers who've been waiting for their first 2011 chance to JAM their families, and the anxiously awaiting spectators that little area packed! Every little space an NDN could be put LOL I'm not kidding was taken and not going to be given up! Thru the heat that enveloped that space- you could just see COLORFUL outfits, hear mad Jingles and Bells, Feel Feathers and Shawl fringe brush across you, and smell the NDN taco stand. A Wacipi had definitely taken over the USD Campus.

I got to set up in the reception area just outside the side entrance to the powwow which was nice because the walkway/hallway where some vendors were was so packed continously with people walking back and forth it gave very little room for people to stop and look. The powwow committee kindly gave everyone tables to use and chairs- this is always a STAR 5 Event when committees do this LOL! I put out my fancy schmancy table cloth- a piece of white material with neon pink flowers on it down and laid my little earrings out and business cards. BIG UPS to G JEWELERY too- I gave out all your sticker cards ;) Jason set up my Frame and we hung all our Big "Coaster" earrings LOL This random Navajo guy from Page- clans were Zuni and Todichiini- came over and bought a "home is where the heart is" magnet and  says "DANG- you could wear these and take 'em off at your friends house and use them for your drink" uh- no dude! LOL  Immediately people started to come over to I think just see what we had- right away this Lakota lady who was helping with a Grass special asked to take all the little "Confidence- Sitting bull ones" I had. Just like that they were all gone and I was in Sioux Country LOL People flipped and touched all the earrings they could- asking the obvious questions- "How do you make these?" "Did you paint all these??!??" "Are you Lakota too?" "What kind of wood is this?" "Are they heavy?" "How'd you come up with this idea??" Then came the awesome ones!! "Are you Mea B'fly" "Do you sell online?" "Do you know B. Drapeau?" "Do you know Tish" Then the most humble "I'll take these" "Can I get these" "Do you have any more of these like hers?" LOL Its so funny to hear the comments and just questions people have about my designs.

 

As Native people- any for that matter- there is a overall respect and just camaraderie that you feel when they comment let alone purchase from you- them saying anything at all is the greatest feeling because you know what you've laid out for them to buy, yes!, but see has made them THINK and FEEL something that want to SHARE with you. These are my favorite stories from this wkend....





::Beauty::


1. My FAVE Customer Story this Wknd- this ole bandana wearing Lakota man came over to see my earrings- he had full head of white long hair braided and held back with a white bandana- and he leaned over to see all the earrings I had laid out on my table. Glancing back and forth then asking me how I had come up with my designs. He told me a story about how he was a descendant of Chief Sitting Bull and how the Lakota people honor him thru various prayers and dances still to this day even if they do not know it themselves. He stopped to ask how I had gotten certain pictures- I explained and he said Oh well that's kinda cheating huh? LOL I said yeah I guess but the honor and respect I have for every picture I take I ensure I know what I'm talking about if someone should ask. He smiled at me and said- "I'm going to bring my Love over but it might take a while she has Parkinson's but we'll be back" then left. Later than eve he came back alone and said he told his wife about my earrings and all the designs he saw and she asked him to pick out a pair that he loved so she could wear his love <3 He picked a small pair of ::Beauty::, shook my hand, and held them up and said "Yeah she'll like these". While I was packing up at the end of the nite I noticed him by the door and he gave me a thumbs up!! haha Now boys thats a MAN!! ;)
2. The little Jingle dress dance who could- This teenage Jingle dress dancer came over with her mom. She didn't say anything but just stood back looking at my earring frame turning her head from each design to the next. Finally asking to turn them over- she noticed the designed stained backs. She flipped them ALL over standing stoic then smiling. Her mom asked me how I'd made 'em, where I was from, if I was enjoying the powwow, and we passed more time talking about how crowded the powwow was. Finally they left but the girl just kept looking as she walked away to go get ready to dance. About 3 hours later I notice the girl kinda jogging over- she stands back again looking and then says "you had some pinky purple ones with Sitting Bull on 'em- do you have any more?" I had just taken the pair down to talk about them with another customer and I handed them to her- she had the hugest SMILE! She turns to this man I hadn't noticed standing there and says I want these ones, Daddy! LOL  He asks me how they are and I tell him adding I'm doing a "2 for" special too- he looks at his daughter and says "Might as well get another one of the ones you were crying for" LOL!! She does and he hands me the money and I bag up her earrings. She snatches them from me and runs off opening the bag to put a pair on ;) He takes his changes and says "DAUGHTERS! gotta love 'em" LOL He tells me his daughter and his wife told him about the earrings, so they had to get a pair and he shook my hand and Thank'd me :)
3. This couple and their kids we walking thru just looking at the stands and their stuff- this little boy runs over and tiptoes up to see what I've got. He finally rummages his little fingers thru my magnets box and grabs one as his mom pulls his hand back. He cluthes a ~Humma Bird~ magnet and yells "MINE"!!! His mom puts the magnet back and smiles and walks back towards her husband and daughter into the powwow. Not a minute later the little boy got away and ran back to my table, grabs the same ~humma bird~ magnet and stands to look at it. His Dad comes running over laughing- the lil guy clutches that thing again and cries "MINE" LOL I gave it to him ;) Such a cutie.

Selling is definitely worth while if you set your profit on making people happy with what you create. Every place I sell I have a story and so do the people who stop to just look. My favorite and never heard comment this weekend was- "These earrings are BAD ASS"!! haha This earring thing has definitely taken me places and I've met some amazing people- 2011 is definitely going to be so much more considering USD was my first Slangin' set up this year and it was just an unbelievably heart warming weekend!!