Visitors are often invited to join in the dancing. And it is spiritual - you never applaud during a powwow and there is no alcohol or tobacco allowed in the presence of the drums. A major powwow is held the second weekend after the Fourth of July each year. Originally closed to non-natives, it is now open but still a very spiritual, very important part of the year, she said, for a people living their culture. Many non-native people don't realize, said Ryan, that the Ojibwe practice their heritage.
Tobacco is a sacred thing.
Many still cast it on the water in the morning and say their morning prayers. When a tribal member wants to talk to the elders, who act as guidance counselors for the tribe, they give the elders tobacco, she said. At the opening of a restaurant here, a pipe was passed but only the men smoked, she said. They burn tobacco with sage and other herbs and send their prayers and thoughts up with the smoke. Besides being a place to find your spirit, Lac du Flambeau is also a place where you can enjoy traditional foods.