All Nations Dance Together - Gathering of Nations Powwow

Dance Magazine, Oct, 2001

THE EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL GATHERING OF NATIONS POWWOW DRAWS THE WORLD TO ITS GROUNDS

The dancers entered the arena in a procession of color, drum, and song. They wore eagle feathers, buckskin, fringe, jingles, beadwork, ribbonwork, blankets, turquoise, shells, bells, and quills--all worn with respect to the birds, animals, fish, earth, water, and sky. The "best" has arrived to perform and compete at the eighteenth annual Gathering of Nations Powwow.

THE GATHERING OCCURS EVERY APRIL FOR three days in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the University of New Mexico's "Pit" sports arena. In 1983, former Dean of Students Derek Mathews, of Cherokee/Chickasaw heritage, and Native American university students organized the first powwow. Mathews continues to organize the event, which has grown from 250 dancers to nearly 2,500. "It was never meant to take off like this," he said. But take off it did, gathering dancers from 500 nations, 50 drum groups, 200 vendors, and 80,000 visitors from around the world. The Gathering is a family event and an educational experience for everyone.

There are more than 500 federally recognized nations, or tribes, in the United States. The media has popularized the names of some nations: Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne. But others, such as Havasupai and Athabascan, are less familiar. At the Gathering, there were representatives from more U.S. tribes in one spot than anywhere else in the world.

Floyd Moses, an elder Pawnee dancer, rested in the bleachers wearing the full regalia of a "Straight Dancer" including the "roach" headdress made from deer and porcupine hair worn by male dancers. The Straight Dance is a dignified dance rooted in centuries of warrior tradition. A Straight Dancer knows why he dances and understands the tradition in his heart. He honors the ways of the ancestors and pays tribute to the protectors and peacemakers of the people. He moves at a pace and demeanor that marks maturity, respect, and wisdom. Moses has been dancing for seventy-five years. His hair is long and braided, and he speaks with a charming hint of Oklahoma in his blood. "I've been dancing since I was about 3, 4 years [old]. My grandmother used to sing for me. We didn't have no drum. She just clapped her hands.... I love to dance; the drum, there's something to it."

At powwow competitions, the emcee calls for the "drum" to accompany the contest. "Drum" means the instrument and the drummers/singers who surround and play it. Without the drum, there would be no powwow. Drummers devote their lives to the art, learning it by oral tradition from an elder male relative. Ceremony, hard work, and many miles on the powwow highway are part of the process. Drums are distinguished by sound; the high tone is called Northern style, and the lower tone Southern. There also are hand-held drums.

The drums and women back-up singers compete along with the dancers. Competition categories correspond to the dance style and regalia worn by the dancer. These include Grass, Fancy, and Traditional dances for men and boys, and Shawl, Cloth, Buckskin, and Jingle dances for women and girls. Competition dancers must know the songs and drum breaks, or stops, because a sole step beyond the last drumbeat can lose the contest. As the emcee announced: "The competition is in a good way between singer and dancer."

At this year's Gathering, the drummers chose the trickiest songs to challenge the Seneca Smoke Dancers and Relentless Warrior II contestants. The Seneca Smoke Dance is a hyper-speed dance with jumps and intricate footwork that stops on a dime. The Relentless Warrior II Fancy dancers spun, twisted, shimmied, and dipped while their twin feather-bustles shook in a display of swirling fluorescent colors.

The young boys' Traditional contest could make anybody believe in living history. The boys were little men, dressed in headdresses, feathers, and skins from nature that they wore with respect. The footwork, bending in the knees, and movement of the head imitated the hunter stalking prey. The language of their movement clearly pre-dated this century.

Non-contest events also were on the program. A Gourd Dance honored announcer Sammy "Tonekei" White, Kiowa, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and admired emcee in Indian Country. An emcee educates, entertains, and assures that the intricacies of powwow protocol are followed. The Gourd Dance is an expression of a membership society that includes veterans and individuals who have performed exceptional deeds. It is a healing and social dance, often practiced for the safe return of soldiers going overseas. The male dancers were draped in symbolic navy-blue and red blankets and danced fervently to the dram with their gourds in hand. Women in shawls completed the circle.

The Miss Indian World Traditional Talent Competition spotlighted twenty-four contestants ages 18 to 24, in traditional regalia, competing for the title based on knowledge and presentation of a traditional skill, song, dance, or story representative of their tribe. Demonstrations included how to tie a Navajo hair bun, wrap .a baby in a cradle board, make moose-skin moccasins and deer-toe legging ties, and weave a basket.