powwow

American  

[pau-wau] / ˈpaʊˌwaʊ /

noun

1. a large gathering organized by Native Americans for socializing, dancing, singing, and celebrating their culture.

2. a council or conference of or with Native Americans.

3. (historically, among North American Indians) a ceremony accompanied by spiritual, religious, and ritual practices, along with dancing, performed for the cure of disease, success in a hunt, etc.

4. (among Native Americans) a priest or shaman.

5. Informal: Often Offensive. any conference or meeting.

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verb (used without object)

• powwows,
  present (3rd person singular)
• powwowed,
  past participle,  past
• powwowing
  present participle

1. to hold a powwow, such as a cultural gathering, council, or spiritual ceremony for Native Americans.

2. Informal: Often Offensive. to confer.

powwow British  

/ ˈpaʊˌwaʊ /

noun

1. a talk, conference, or meeting

2. a magical ceremony of certain North American Indians, usually accompanied by feasting and dancing

3. (among certain North American Indians) a medicine man

4. a meeting of or negotiation with North American Indians

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verb

1. (intr) to hold a powwow

Sensitive Note

There are a number of words associated with Native American peoples, like brave, chief, powwow, or warpath, that have been appropriated, especially for use in sports and business. While the words are not offensive in straightforward denotative use (e.g., the chief of a tribe in Oklahoma), they become problematic when dissociated from their Indigenous referents and used to evoke a culture that the people using these words don’t know anything authentic about. Use of these terms is beyond problematic, and truly offensive, when used to evoke a caricature or stereotype, or when used as a mascot or costume, as is the case sometimes in sports. When speaking or writing about members of Tribal Nations or First Nations, it’s best to understand the history and governance of the group in question, and to reflect the language used by the members of this specific tribe or nation. Fidelity to the group’s own naming is important. In other contexts, these Native-evoking words can and should be replaced with more neutral language, where your boss is not “the chief” and there is no need for a “powwow” because teams of co-workers can just chat, meet up, or have a brainstorming session.

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• powwowing
  present
• powwowed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• powwow
  simple
• powwows
  simple
• have powwowed
  perfect
• has powwowed
  perfect
• am powwowing
  progressive
• are powwowing
  progressive
• is powwowing
  progressive
• have been powwowing
  perfect progressive
• has been powwowing
  perfect progressive

Past

• powwowed
  simple
• had powwowed
  perfect
• was powwowing
  progressive
• were powwowing
  progressive
• had been powwowing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will powwow
  simple
• will have powwowed
  perfect
• will be powwowing
  progressive
• will have been powwowing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of powwow

An Americanism dating back to 1615–25; from Narragansett ( English spelling) powwaw “shaman, healer” (and the identical word in Massachusett ), from unattested Proto-Algonquian pawe·wa “he dreams” (used as a derived agent noun meaning “he who dreams,” i.e., one who derives his power from visions)

Explanation

A powwow is a Native American meeting or council. Originally, powwow was a Native American term that referred to a type of meeting or council. The term has since become a more general term for meetings and conferences, especially brief ones, like a huddle of players during a football game. However, this informal usage in contexts that do not relate to Native Americans or Native American cultures is now often considered offensive.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

powwow powwows powwowed powwowing

Written and directed by comedian Joey Clift, this delightful short trains a humorous lens on a young boy named Jake who attends his first powwow when he’d much rather just play video games.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2025

That unusual choice means it can be read without the centerpiece of 2018’s “There There,” which ended with Orvil, one of the main characters, in peril at a contemporary powwow in Oakland.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 27, 2024

In other cases, she said, non-Native parents might have asked about “taking the kids to a powwow or reading them a book” about their origins.

From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2023

The winner will be crowned on the final night of the powwow and will spend the next year serving as a cultural ambassador as she travels to events and other powwows.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2023

She was tall and brown and was the best traditional powwow dancer on the rez.

From "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie

The jingle dress dance, which originated with the Ojibwe people of North America in the early 20th century, typically takes place at powwows.

From New York Times ● Apr. 13, 2024

“I grew up reading comic books, and I grew up going to powwows, but those two things never overlapped or intersected with each other,” says Freeland, who was raised on the Navajo Nation reservation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024

He was raised, more often than not, by his Shinnecock grandmother, who taught him about his Indigenous heritage and took him to powwows.

From New York Times ● May 25, 2023

Two drum groups — the Zotigh Singers and the Uptown Singerz — sang as dozens of dancers in full regalia, the traditional outfits worn by Native Americans in ceremonies and at powwows, celebrated their heritage.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 11, 2023

They come back a few times each year for weddings, funerals, powwows, and other family gatherings.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

When it came to Pence’s selection as a running mate in 2016, the entire Trump family powwowed at their golf club in Bedminster, N.J., to make a final decision.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 4, 2018

At Tuba City, in the Western Navajo Reservation of Arizona, Indians powwowed solemnly about the progress toward recovery that a 17-year-old Navajo girl was making.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week U.S. psychologists powwowed at Northwestern University, reported: > Goldfish remember better in cold water than in warm water.

From Time Magazine Archive

When the proud parents powwowed at their old Stork Club stamping ground, both agreed there will be none of that coming-out foolishness for Victoria.

From Time Magazine Archive

"You powwowed me," I cried with all the spirit I could muster, for such treatment was not to my liking.

From The Soldier of the Valley by Nelson Lloyd

Another unresolved issue that banks have been powwowing about is how to estimate legal losses nine quarters into the future.

From Reuters ● Dec. 9, 2014

But she says the real traditions of powwowing might have real modern relevance.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 1, 2014

“It wasn’t discussed,” says Casey Brown, a York native and teacher of powwowing and other holistic healing techniques.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 1, 2014

Sure, there’s Gingrich powwowing with Hillary Clinton and praising the individual mandate, but there’s also Gingrich looking on as Chris Farley gives a speech to the entire House Republican conference in Newtonian guise.

From Time ● Dec. 14, 2011

The cattle had in the mean time grazed off nearly a mile, the outfit, however, holding them under a close herd during the powwowing.

From The Log of a Cowboy A Narrative of the Old Trail Days by Andy Adams