Cultural Event: The Gathering of Nations

     On Friday, April 29, 2011 two Indians took a long trip to go to a powwow =) Viki Eagle (a fellow Native and photographer) and I left Denver on that Friday afternoon to head to the Land of Enchantment, more specifically, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every year around this time the biggest powwow in the whole nation known as "The Gathering of Nations" is held in Albuquerque, New Mexico and any Native who can gather up the funds for it heads that way. The Gathering of Nations was being held at the newly renovated Pit at the University of New Mexico on both Friday and Saturday. However, due to the insanely high price of admission we decided to go see Grand Entry just on Saturday, April 30, 2011. Since I'm from Albuquerque I was ecstatic to be going back home to my own bed and to hang out with more brown people. I naturally had to take Viki to all of my favorite New Mexican restaurants and this could be considered a cultural event in itself. I do believe I got her hooked on everything from Golden Pride breakfast burritos to Blake's Lotaburger.
     Anyways, back to the powwow. We took Friday night to rest from our 6 and a half hour journey and get ready for the day ahead of us. We tried to make it to Grand Entry at noon but unfortunately I forgot to account for crowded parking and long lines to get in. We made it inside for the tail end of Grand Entry and it was mindblowing to see the entire floor overflowing with Natives eager to dance, and not all of them could even fit on the dance floor. Viki told me that a lot of dancers actually choose to not participate in the Gathering because they are afraid their feathers will get plucked from dancing too close together.

This is a small sample of how tightly packed the dancers are

     The entire thing is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. We tried to find a seat but we kept being ushered along by the crowd so we eventually decided to go check out the Indian Market that was being held in a tent outside. The Indian Market is generally where a ton of Native vendors sell their goods from jewelry to paintings. I'm always really drawn to what the vendors are selling but I know they are generally marked up for the Gathering of Nations. Once we made rounds and checked everything out we decided it was time to go outside for some good old-fashioned Native frybread. This is hands down the most deliciously fatty treat on the planet. The food is also super overpriced at the Gathering, and not going to lie I am super disappointed I paid $6 for a piece of frybread I could have made at home, but hey! It's all part of the experience. While standing in line for the frybread I swear I saw the actress who plays Pocahontas in the movie version with Colin Farrell. I thought she was someone I knew at first so I did the awkward wave thing where I realized I didn't personally know her so I was naturally just fanning myself because it was really hot outside.

I wouldn't lie about this. It was totally her.

After frybread and celebrity sightings (we also saw the hottest Native woman of 2010, psh) we decided to sit and watch the dances for awhile. I was really enjoying myself but unfortunately after 3 hours of drumming and fighting the crowds I got exhausted. I left feeling satisfied but wishing I could return. The rest of the weekend was spent enjoying the Albuquerque experience! I was really pleased with the whole thing and Viki was the best powwow buddy I could have asked for!