A showing of ‘strength and pride’: Gathering of Nations hits Expo NM

Dressed in red, yellow and blue feathers and beads, Skweltapis Ned awaited anxiously to enter the dance floor in Tingley Coliseum, at Expo New Mexico, where much of the 36th annual Gathering of Nations Powwow was unfolding Friday. “It’s my first year here, and I’m very excited,” the 16-year-old said. “This is a big deal and a big event. All the Native people are gathering in one place to show their strength and pride in our dance, and to demonstrate that we’re continuing our culture.” Ned, from the St’at’imc Reservation in British Columbia, Canada, has danced at other powwows, but never one as big as the Gathering of Nations. “Everyone here is dancing for the same reasons – for their families, their loved ones, and for the culture to continue on and thrive,” he said. “No dancer dances for themselves.” About 3,000 dancers representing 750 tribes in the United States, Canada and Mexico, cycled through the crowded dance floor as Native drumming and chanting urged them on. The spectacle of the largest powwow in the world overwhelmed first-time observers and continued to awe those who return year after year...MORE