By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – This past weekend, I had the opportunity to cover the Annual Eastern Band of Cherokee Pow Wow which is one of my favorite events to photograph every year. It is important for us to remember that life is a series of moments that will never occur again.
The pow wow held this past weekend will never occur again. Now, don’t get me wrong, the pow wow will be held over July 4th weekend in 2027, but it will not be the same.
Next year’s dance will not be the same. There will be different dancers, singers, spectators, vendors, etc. Every event in the world is like this. It is impossible to replicate an event, and there’s no reason to even try.
Robin Jumper, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians from Tutiyi (Snowbird), has a big smile while dancing in the grand entry at the Annual Eastern Band Cherokee Pow Wow in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Friday, July 3. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
Even if the same songs are sung next year, they will be slightly different as it is impossible to sing a song the exact same way twice. Dancers will not dance the same way. They might add a different step or move. And, I won’t get the same photographs ever again.
Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy family, once noted, “Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.”
That is so true. Every moment occurs in a second, and then it is gone – forever.
Cherish each moment. Think about each moment. Remember each moment because together they comprise your life.
I’ve written before about the power of capturing moments, a split second in time, through photography. Every smile, laugh, or frown comes and goes in an instant. This scenario gives us the opportunity to hold onto the good moments and try to mitigate the bad ones.
As some of you might know, I don’t have a cell phone of my own. I’m old school and just never wanted to be tied down to a device. Now, my wife does have one so I am not removed from the world and keep up with people through calls and texts through her.
The point being – some people are very tied to their phones. I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised to see very few people at the pow wow – participants and spectators alike – glued to their screen. There were more people enjoying the moments than I’ve seen in a long time, and it was very refreshing.
At the next event you attend, try to be mindful of the plethora of moments. Notice the laughter. Notice the joy. Notice the bonds being created.
Georges Duhamel, a French author and self-described “pacifist and internationalist”, once said, “We do not know the true value of our moments until they have undergone the test of memory.”
Value your moments for your memory’s sake.
