Gathering at the Gathering of Nations Powwow: Sharing the Heritage
Offbeat New Mexico
I walked through the gate at the University of New Mexico Arena and into a swirl of noise and crowds, color and seeming confusion. I had just entered the Gathering of Nations, the largest powwow in North America, with over 3000 dancers and singers from more than 500 tribes. It is an experience that has no ready counterpart; by turns educational outreach, reunion of family and friends, affirmation of cultural heritage and identity, shopping opportunity, and dance competition.
Indian Traders Market
To my right was a line of food vendors. Tempting, but it was the large white tent beyond, the Indian Traders Market, that lured me. Native American arts and crafts are distinctive and the Indian Traders Market is one of the best opportunities to see its full range. Stall after stall offered beaded necklaces and earrings, dream catchers, turquoise jewelry, clothing, crafts, and art prints, all vying for strollers' attentions. There was beautiful turquoise in many forms. But this day it was the beaded jewelry which caught my attention. Lovely patterned necklaces and earrings. I did not leave empty-handed.
Creativity, craft, and history blend together at the booth of the Birch Bark Biting Woman, Ilona Stanley-Clearsky, of the Ojibwe nation in Manitoba, Canada. This almost lost art is exactly as it sounds. Thin pieces of peeled bark are folded over several times, then Ms. Stanley-Clearsky begins to bite down creating beautifully symmetrical patterns when the bark is unfolded. Now sold as an art form, the designs were originally used as patterns. Charcoal would be carefully rubbed over the bite marks and the bark would be placed on cloth or leather to transfer the design. The resulting pattern was used for quill and beadwork. Ms. Stanley-Clearsky is one of only a handful of people who practice this art which she learned from watching a video of Angelique Merasti who was an original practitioner.
Although the Traders Market is an important part of both the cultural outreach and the fun, Gathering of Nations a festival of dancing and drumming, and part of the pageantry comes from the elaborate and gorgeous regalia of the participants. The regalia is a blend of traditional elements, and personal taste. The dress for the different dances follows a code, but there is room for individual touches. Depending on the dance specialty there may be plumes and bustles, tassels, buttons, jingles, and almost always intricate beadwork. Even Sesame Street characters have found their way onto the regalia of young children.
While snapping pictures without permission, touching the regalia or calling them costumes are definitely cultural no-nos, pride of heritage melds with educational outreach at the Gathering of Nations and many contestants when approached with a polite request are happy to explain their regalia and their dance specialty. I was bewitched by one tiny charmer, two-year-old Aaron Tate-Nevaquaya, an Oklahoma member of the Comanche nation. He was outside the arena resplendent in his mini-regalia as he waited for the results of the dance competition. "Aaron is a Traditional Dancer," explained his mother, Audrey Whitefeather, describing his dance category "and he competes in the Tiny Tots division." Like many competitors, his regalia is handmade. Perhaps even more special, Aaron's regalia was given to him when he was two months old. "He has been dancing ever since he could walk," said his mother. "I believe he was blessed and it was meant for him to dance."
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