If you've ever been to a pow-wow, the first, last, and most continuous thing you will notice is the drumming. In the center of the gathering, you'll find the drum circle, the heartbeat of the pow-wow. In the center will be a large drum, big enough for about ten men to sit around it. Only those who have been invited by the lead singer can sit in this group. Women usually sit or stand behind this group and may sing but normally don't beat the drum. If you pay attention, you'll hear different rhythms at different times and different songs will be sung. A lot of people may say that they all sound the same but it doesn't take much effort to hear the distinction in patterns and the pitch (high or low) in which they are sung, even if you don't understand the meaning.

The pow-wow opens with a procession called the Grand Entry which is led by the main dancers and a color guard of military veterans who carry tribal flags and the American flag. While the flags are brought in, it is respectful to stand quietly. Men remove their hats. Flag Songs that are sung differ from one tribe to another. Listen to a Fox flag song here.

Most of the songs follow a pattern like this: 1) the leader starts a song; 2)the rest of the drum circle repeats this intro; 3)everyone in the circle sings a chorus, which is the main part of the song. The dancers now begin, and the song and drum patterns repeat, getting louder, with each round separated by three sharp beats on the drum between the choruses. Those signal the time to honor the drum, and you might see some dancers drop down or look to the sky when the "honor beats" are sounded. Here's an example, a southern intertribal song. Click to listen.

The drumming gets very interesting during any dance contest because it will speed up or slow down or even stop suddenly to try to throw the dancer off balance!

The pow-wow ends with a slow song, the "quitting song". As with the Grand Entry and Flag Song, show respect by standing quietly.