powwow

plural powwows · alternative pow wow · alternative pow-wow · alternative pau wau

1. A ritual conducted by a Native American shaman.
2. A Native American shaman.
3. A Native American council or meeting.
4. informalA short, private conference.

   While the powwow was going on the big woman came back again. She was consider'ble rumpled and scratched up, but there was fire in her eye.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter XII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

5. CanadaUSA large gathering during which Indigenous songs and dances are showcased for an audience, essentially a recital or concert. Often also doubles as a fundraiser, or can be held in conjunction with a non-indigenous fair or exhibition in order to attract a large crowd, as at the Calgary Stampede and K-Days.

   On the way out, Octavio handed me a flyer for the powwow that listed the prize money in each dance category.

   2018, Tommy Orange, There There, Harvill Secker, page 24

6. A tradition of folk magic practiced by the Pennsylvania Dutch.

present singular third person powwows · participle present powwowing · participle past powwowed · past powwowed · alternative pow wow · alternative pow-wow · alternative pau wau

1. intransitiveTo hold a meeting; to gather together in council.

   [The] Indians saw everything that happened and powwowed all night, needing more than anything else the presence of Tecumseh. The most aggressive element was the Winnebagos, who insisted on attacking.

   2005, Glen Tucker, Tecumseh: A Vision of Glory, page 224

2. intransitivesuch as the Pennsylvania DutchTo conduct a ritual in which magic is used.

   Maybe no one— except possibly Leah— powwowed anymore.

   2007, David W. Kriebel, Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch, page 10

3. informalintransitiveoffensiveoftenTo hold a private conference.