The Gathering of Nations - this weekend in Albuquerque - is called the granddaddy of them all, though for some it has gotten a little too big and commercial

By Eddie Chuculate
Tribune Reporter

Few could have predicted the enormous growth, popularity or controversy surrounding the annual Gathering of Nations Powwow when it began in 1983 in a small gymnasium at the University of Albuquerque on the West Side.

The 22nd annual powwow begins today with the grand entry at noon in The Pit and continues through Saturday.

Founder Derek Mathews has watched the gathering grow from 250 participants to more than 3,000 expected this year.

The event's popularity comes as no surprise to Sammy White.

White, a Kiowa, is the voice of the event, having served as master of ceremonies for every Gathering of Nations Powwow since it began, including two years at a horse arena at the fairgrounds at Expo New Mexico.

The 74-year-old calls out upcoming dances, makes announcements and small talk, and generally tries to keep things running on time.

He remembers telling Mathews the event would be a success.

"I told him this is going to be great," White said in a phone interview from his home in Anadarko, Okla. "It's centrally located, and everyone loves to come to Albuquerque."

At powwows around the country, White announces the dates of the gathering but jokingly tells people not to come because it's too crowded.

"I'm sure they'll come anyway," he said. "It's the granddaddy of them all."

Mathews, who staged the first powwow while an adviser for the University of Albuquerque's Indian Club, estimates between 150,000 to 175,000 people will come to gathering-related events this year, including concerts, conferences, sports tournaments, an art show and beauty pageant.

The event is a full-time occupation for Mathews, a Chicago native who heads Gathering of Nations Ltd., a federally recognized nonprofit organization. Besides the gathering, the group founded a traveling troupe of dancers and performers, the Miss Indian World pageant and the Traders Market. It plans to bestow up to five annual scholarships for books and supplies for American Indian students at the University of New Mexico.

The group's main fund-raiser is the Gathering of Nations, regularly selling out The Pit every spring.

"It is amazing in the space it consumes," Mathews said of the event. "We fit all the dancers in on the floor - but barely. A lot of people say it's too crowded, but at the same time every seat's a good seat. Some people like being that close."

Mathews estimated the event pumps about $30 million annually into the city's economy. The Trader's Market - a midwaylike event on the west side of The Pit featuring arts and crafts, food and entertainment - includes 800 artists from around the country.

Chris Day, a 26-year-old Taos Pueblo native, has never missed a gathering.

He remembers going to the fairgrounds as a child to watch his great-grandfather, Ben Marcus, dance.

"I get to see friends and family from all over - Denver, Michigan, Arizona," said Day, a journalism graduate student at the University of New Mexico. "I can see why people who traditionally enjoy powwows can't enjoy it, because it's too big, but I like being around a lot of people. It's a great opportunity to network, and there's lots of well-known Indian people."

Capacity crowds at The Pit make Leona Morgan cringe. The 22-year-old UNM senior is president of the Kiva Club, an organization for American Indian students.

"The gathering is actually a corporation," said Morgan, a Navajo from Fort Defiance, Ariz. "It's become all about money. . . . It's part of the effect of colonialism that has infiltrated our (American Indian) culture."

But Morgan, a fine arts major who was 1 during the first gathering, said she might attend the powwow if she and other club members can help with a voter-registration drive. Otherwise, she'll skip it.

"I prefer going to local high school or community powwows," Morgan said. The gathering, she said is "like going to a mall, and I don't shop at the mall. I'd rather go to local shops, thrift stores."

Through the years, Morgan is not the only detractor of the event's popularity.

In the early 1980s a group of American Indian activists staged a protest in a parking lot across from The Pit, asserting the gathering was too commercial and exploited American Indians.

In 2001, a Grammy awarded to two co-producers for music recorded during the 1999 Gathering of Nations created a rift between the producers and gathering officials.

But annually, a core number of dancers, drummers and powwow fans continue to come to Albuquerque just for the gathering.

Sam Boughter, director of front office operations for the Albuquerque Hilton, said the hotel's 263 rooms have been sold out all week and that 215 of the rooms were booked for the gathering.

"This and the Balloon Fiesta," he said. "Those two sell out every year."

GATHERING OF NATIONS POWWOW

At The Pit

Today and Saturday:

10 a.m.: Doors open, registration for dancers and singers, ticket sales begin, various powwow pre-performances

11:45 a.m.: Drum roll call

Noon: Grand entry, competitive dancing, golden age, juniors and teens

3:30 p.m.: Specials and giveaways honoring head dancers

5 p.m.: Gourd dancing

6:45 p.m.: Drum roll call

7 p.m.: Grand entry, competitive dancing, cultural performances, exhibitions

Also:

Midnight tonight: Two-step for couples who have been married at least 10 years; winner receives prize money and trip for two to Las Vegas, Nev.

9 p.m. Saturday: Crowning of Miss Indian World with performance by Robert Mirabal.

Tickets: $10 today, $12 Saturday; two-day pass $18. Only those with two-day pass will be allowed to leave powwow and return without paying again. Tickets go on sale at The Pit today at 10 a.m. Venue could sell out by Saturday night.

Music: Cherokee rapper Litefoot will perform at 9:15 p.m. today as part of the "Reach the Rez" event. The event runs from noon until 11 tonight and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the south side of the Traders Market tent. The Web site www.redvinyl.com calls Litefoot the first American Indian rapper and a motivational speaker. He starred in the movie "The Indian in the Cupboard."

Other acts scheduled to appear are Martha Redbone, Irene Bedard and Beni, Knifewing and Tribal Jam and comedian Drew Lapaca.

The musical performances are included in the price of the event tickets.

Source: www.gatheringofnations.com

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