Gathering of Nations 2013, Part 1

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Several folks have remarked to me that they like small powwows more than large ones. The Gathering of Nations is certainly in the large category, billed as the largest powwow in North America.

Now having done both small and large, I'll agree with those who prefer the smaller events. On the other hand, an event as large as the Gathering of Nations brings perspectives you might not see at small powwows.

A mishmash of impressions below.

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The Red Paint Powwow (January) in Silver City was my first powwow

This is where I learned about the components of some powwows. I went into considerable detail back then, and if you're interested, you can read about them in the links below, as I won't repeat them in the Gathering of Nations post.

Part 1: Golden Eagle
Part 2:  The Chinese Hopi
Part 3: The Gourd Dance
Part 4: The Grand Entry
Part 5: Gaan Dancers
Part 6: North and South and drum and Drum
  

The Gathering of Nations - in size - exceeded the Red Paint Powwow by a factor of, I don't know, a hundred. It's big.

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sound

The sound is excellent everywhere in the arena.

Bring earplugs - you never know where you might end up, and it might be right next to a monster speaker.

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Photos

Getting good photos is a challenge because you're either too far away or, if you're close to the performance floor, there are likely people standing in your line of sight.

Also, most people you want to photograph are moving - dancing, drumming, walking, jumping - and transferring in and out of your frame. While movement can result in beautiful photographs, it means you'll need to take lots of shots to guarantee a successful few.

One option is to forego the camera and live in the moment.

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Sun

Holy mother, there is no shade in the outside area with the food vendors and the music stages.

If you'll be at the GON during the day, bring both a hat and sunglasses. The sun is brutal.

Note: You don't have to go outside if you don't want. There are also food vendors and artisan items indoors.  

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

The emcee(s)

I attended the Gathering of Nations on Saturday, and it seemed there were two emcees, trading off. I couldn't help but compare the emcees at the GON with the emcee at Red Paint. All had liquid radio voices, pleasant to listen to. .

All expressed humor. Red Paint Powwow's emcee, Otis Half Moon, had a wry wit that touched on history, sociology, politics, even poverty.

I felt a couple of comments by one of the GON emcees were inappropriate, with references such as "give me some tongue" and "chasing tail."

Given the troubling reports of an appallingly high rate of sexual assault against Native girls and women by Native men - such comments felt, at best, tasteless, especially at a family event such as GON.

And especially with the Native American Women Warriors, aka "lady warriors," serving as this year's Color Guard (and given the U.S. military's disgusting tolerance of sexual assault of women soldiers by their male comrades and commanding officers.)

"Lady warriors"of the Color Guard, Gathering of Nations 2013, New Mexico.

A giving tradition

At GON, after the New Zealand Maori dance troupe finished, the blanket was laid out for donations to help them defray its travel costs. Perhaps on different days of GON or at different times, other groups benefit from blanket collections.

Gathering of Nations 2013, Albuquerque, New Mexico

I always smile when I think how Red Paint's emcee encouraged donations during a blanket collection, noting that even government cheese was welcome. (There was a time when I had to get me some of that government cheese.)

Next --> Part 2: A Whole New Music Genre

Red Paint Powwow, Part 4: The Grand Entry

Red Paint Powwow, Silver City, New Mexico

The Red Paint Powwow is an annual event in Silver City, New Mexico, hosted by the Chiricahua Apache. I attended the powwow on Saturday, January 19, 2013.

The Grand Entry is the most exhilarating event at a powwow, yes? All of the colors, the dance, the sounds, the sheer volume of the sensory feast make it so.

With a front-row seat, I had almost too good a view, as I found that my camera couldn't capture the entire person before me - his face and his regalia and his footwork. This turned out to be a benefit, actually, because in having to choose between a performer's face/regalia and his footwork, I often chose the footwork, something that might otherwise have been overlooked due to the competing beauty of the attire.

The Grand Entry video requires a bit of a time investment, so I'll highlight some points along the way.

First, notice that the audience stands during the Grand Entry.

At 1:18: Note that the Color Guard is among the first entrants. First flag? The American flag. Honored members of the Grand Entry? Veterans. Publicly-displayed respect for veterans seems to be a prominent feature in New Mexican communities with a large Indian population.

At 1:46: See the POW-MIA flag? I was startled at first, but then not, to learn that because Indians were prisoners of war at various times and places in the U.S., the significance of the POW-MIA flag goes beyond what most Americans think of when we see this flag. (I wonder if there are Americans of Japanese descent who feel the same.)

At 2:14: The White Eagle Gourd Dance Society members.

At 2:22: The "Chinese Hopi" and Miss Mescalero Apache.  

 
At 5:39: Appears a woman whose attire is dazzling in the color and intricacy of its beadwork and her footwork - it is such a cliche, but true: Her dance steps are so light, they are like that of a beautiful deer. What she makes appear so effortless in the airiness of her steps must be very tiring.

As  you might expect, the performers fall along a continuum between full body-mind focus into their dance on one end and bored, going (barely) through the motions on the other.

Red Paint Powwow, Silver City, New Mexico

Red Paint Powwow, New Mexico, Part 3: The Gourd Dance

Gourd dancer. Credit: Tyrone Wilson(pictured) and Kevin Anderson (photographer)

The Red Paint Powwow is an annual event in Silver City, New Mexico, hosted by the Chiricahua Apache. I attended the powwow on Saturday, January 19, 2013.



The White Eagle Gourd Society performed the gourd dance on several occasions during the powwow.

Gourd dancers. Credit: Powwow.com

The story behind the gourd dance

The generally-accepted story is this, which I excerpted from The Daily Times (Farmington, NM):

"Legend has it that a Kiowa warrior was trying to find his way back to his village when he heard a melody from the other side of a hill. He went to the top of the hill and peered down, where he saw Red Wolf bouncing up and down on his haunches. The wolf had a fan in his left hand and a rattle in his right. He was singing melodies, and at the end of each song, he raised his rattle to the sky, shook it and let out a howl. At dawn, Red Wolf told the warrior the songs were a gift to the people so they could continue honoring their warriors...."

The Navajo and other groups have adopted the gourd dance from the Kiowa, who are based in Oklahoma.  Here is a lively discussion about the dance's origins and who "owns" the dance. There are a few jibes directed at the Navajo. 

Gourd dancers. Credit: Red Star Intertribal Gourd Dance Society.

Dance attire

The Golden State Gourd Society explains thoroughly about appropriate dress for the gourd dance: 

"... If the dancer does not have traditional clothing he should wear dress pants, a plain long sleeve colored dress shirt and moccasins. No cowboy hats, ball caps, boots or tennis shoes should be worn, but dress shoes are acceptable.  Other articles that should be worn are a bandolier made of two strands of mescal and silver beads draped over the left shoulder, crossing the heart and bound together at the right hip.  A sash, usually made of velvet with beaded trim on the ends, should be around the waist and tied at the right hip.  A red and blue blanket should be draped over the shoulders or worn over the right shoulder and held together over the arms at the left hip.  ... Gourds used today are natural gourds, German silver, milk cans, salt and pepper shakers or baking powder cans, which are painted for decoration.  The handles are usually decorated with beads and rolled fringe, with horse hair and assorted feathers adorning the tip.  A fan is carried in the opposite hand.  ...."

At the Red Paint Powwow, the emcee explained that veterans could wear veterans' caps or berets while they participated in the gourd dance, but otherwise dancers could not wear modern-day hats.

Choctaw gourd dancers, James family, Oklahoma. Credit: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

From article, For Tribe and Country, three generations deep in tradition: "'It’s very spiritual,'” says Michael [James]. “'Like a prayer in movement, the positive vibration, the drumming. It’s like singing a hymn in church. I feel a connection to earth and sky, like it’s all interwoven during the gourd dancing.'”

What the dance is like

The gourd dance and the trance dance of the "whirling dervishes" share characteristics. There is a building-up of sound and beat and rhythm as the participants warm up to the mind-body prayer that is the trance dance or the gourd dance.  

First came drumming, with singing. The gourd dancers at this time remained in the audience. After a time of drumming, I noted that some men in the audience began to shake their hand-held gourd instruments. (A man seated next to me was a gourd dancer.)

Presently, the gourd dancers stood in place and shook their gourds to the drumming and the singers.

With changes to the drumming and singing, the gourd dancers moved into the dance arena, with small steps and gourd shakes. When the drums rose to a crescendo, the dancers froze in place, then moved again when the drumming calmed. 

After awhile, I noticed a few women who moved to the perimeter of the dance arena. They bent their knees in concert with the drum beats.

Again, the Golden State Gourd Society helps out with a fine description:

"The Gourd Dance is a dance of dignity and pride. As the dance begins, the dancers are seated around the arena.  As the starting song is sung, the seated dancers begin to shake their gourds to the beat of the drum, but do not dance to the first song.  As the song ends the dancers give a howl/yell at the end of the song.  As the tempo increases, during the second song, the dancers rise from their chairs.  The dancers step in place or walk in time with the music during the slow beat of the drum, moving freely around the arena. Once the tempo changes, they once again stand in place and dance to the beat of the drum, shaking their gourd. 

"When the song ends, the dancer raises his gourd and shakes it vigorously ending with a howl/yell (honoring the Red Wolf) and waits for the next song to begin.  Songs are usually sung in sets of four (this is left to the discretion of the head singer) and the dancers do not sit down again until the full set of gourd dance songs has ended or they are dismissed.

"Once the gourd dancers start to dance, the women take their places behind the men, dancing in place, in the outer arena.  The women never start dancing before the men and never walk in front of the dancers. ...."

As with similar dances, there are moments of intense interest, moments of boredom and distraction, and moments of flow as one merges into the sound and the movement.  Dances like these take time to sink into one's body and head. 

An idea I find so fascinating is how certain tonalities and rhythms affect our brain. I think of the man who wrote a book about his experiences as an expedition doctor. He began the book with the story of a Tibetan sherpa who had seriously injured his head on a climb. The man's injury was such that it was virtually certain to be fatal. But his companions had come to the medical tent (or they sent monks?) to chant non-stop, day and night, in the man's tent while he lay there, unresponsive. The author was amazed to realize that, over the course of many hours, the man began to recover. Evidently, the qualities of the sound caused healing changes in the man's brain.