The 1980 Continental Indigenous Council Unity Drum Pow Wow

The Continental Indigenous Council, (CIC)Unity Drum Pow Wow, was held in July 1980. An estimated 1,000 Indigenous Peoples and their guests gathered for the second CIC at Wilmette, Illinois, along with Hand of the Cause Dhikru'llah Khadem and Amoz Gibson, a member of the Universal House of Justice.

The event was sponsored by the Continental Indigenous Council, which was composed of three Indigenous Representatives from each of the National Spiritual Assemblies of North America, Alaska, Canada, and the USA.

The 3rd CIC was held on the Blood First Nation, in August 1982. The 4th CIC, Unity Day Pow Wow, 40 years later, is envisioned to return to Wilmette, in September 2020, as a nexus point of the Caravan of Unity.

Photo's by brother Jack Bastow.

A smiling woman in a blue ribbon dress and beaded necklaces dances at night as a man in a patterned shirt stands behind her.

Dancers in colourful regalia move across a lawn at dusk, watched by a large crowd, with a white domed temple rising behind the trees.

A male dancer in a feathered roach headdress, feather bustle and sleigh bells dances on grass as spectators look on.

People in regalia and shawls stand in a wide circle on a lawn at dusk, with a white domed temple beyond the trees.

Dancers in regalia move together: a man with feathers, a woman in a white beaded buckskin dress, and a man in a red shirt with a feather bustle.

A group of singers sits around a large drum with padded drumsticks, singing, as a seated crowd watches behind them.

Four smiling people wearing name tags pose in front of an ornate white temple facade.

A crowd of people, some in regalia and one woman in a fur-trimmed parka hood, dances together on a field.

A woman in a red skirt dances barefoot with a white fringed shawl as a crowd stands watching, a lake behind them.

A smiling woman and a smiling man wearing a turquoise necklace stand together on a sunny walkway.

Dancers in colourful regalia move across a lawn at dusk, watched by a large crowd, with a white domed temple rising behind the trees.

Close-up of a dancer's large feather bustles glowing in warm sunlight.

The back of a dancer wearing a feather bustle, roach headdress and vest with round mirrors, beside a man in a brown shirt.

Women in shawls, fringed buckskin and ribbon dresses dance on a lawn at dusk, with a crowd and a lake behind.

A male dancer in a feathered roach headdress, feather bustle and sleigh bells dances on grass as spectators look on.

A man speaks into a microphone at night while an elder woman in a red fringed shawl sits in front of him.

A smiling young woman in a red and black woven dress with a silver concho belt stands beneath a tree.

A man speaks at a microphone on a stage with orange curtains while drummers sit nearby and an audience watches.

An audience sits in rows in an auditorium bathed in orange light, looking toward the stage.

Young dancers in feathered regalia, beadwork and face paint stand close together at night.

A line of people in regalia, from children to adults, stands side by side at night before a crowd.

A bundle of feathers and beadwork rests on a folded patterned blanket on the grass at night.

At night, a man speaks at a microphone as a woman places a necklace on a person in a fur parka, beside stacks of blankets.

A man with a microphone greets a woman in a fringed shawl beside stacked blankets as a videographer films.

A man holding a microphone stands before two women, one in a white skirt, near stacked blankets at night.

A smiling woman speaks at a microphone on stage beside an easel while two women stand smiling behind her.

A woman in a blue ribbon dress walks past a man with a microphone and stacks of patterned blankets as a camera operator films.

A man in glasses and beaded necklaces puts his arms around two smiling older women at night.

Two men sit side by side, one laughing in a striped shirt, the other in a light suit with arms crossed.

A man in a yellow shirt stands with arms crossed in front of a row of seated people.

A large audience fills a round hall with red chairs as video cameras on tripods record.

A man stands speaking with his hands raised while elders sit listening, one holding crutches and one in a wheelchair.

People in regalia and shawls stand in a wide circle on a lawn at dusk, with a white domed temple beyond the trees.

A large circle of people gathers on a lawn beside a lake, with a drum group seated on chairs in the centre.

A man in a brown shirt with a name tag carries a decorated staff past folding chairs as a crowd stands watching.