May 3rd, 2022 Last Updated on: May 3rd, 2022
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Over 2,000 Native American tribes and groups from across North America joined for the 2022 Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The annual pow wow was filled with joyous celebrations, music, dance, and more.
However, not everyone in attendance had a memorable weekend.
One family, who'd driven 23 hours from Wisconsin to Albuquerque to attend Gathering of Nations, sadly had their regalia stolen after the event.
According to Josephine Webster, her son, Floyd, had his regalia stolen from their car, along with the regalia of two of Floyd's friends. The car was parked at the La Quinta Inn on Iliff Road in Northwest Albuquerque, where the family was staying.
“They came in after the powwow was over and they went back out after a couple of hours to go grab their stuff, and it was already gone,” Webster told KOAT. “The window was broken, everything was gone, everything but one set of eagle feathers. But other than that all the bags were gone from the car.”
While it's hard to imagine why anyone would break into someone else's vehicle and steal their personal belongings, it's even harder to fathom the idea of stealing something so personal and irreplaceable, such as regalia.
“You work your whole life, things have been passed down from generation to generation and it's irreplaceable,” Webster said. “This is such a huge part of my children’s lives and their friends’ lives. It’s not just a weekend celebration, it’s a whole way of life…We hold them so sacred.”
These are photos of the regalia that was stolen.
Floyd Silas III at the 2022 Gathering of Nations. Photo by Josephine Webster
Silas Whitebuffalo at the 2022 Gathering of Nations. Photo by Josephine Webster
DJ Scott at 2022 Gathering of Nations. Photo by Josephine Webster
“There were two sets of eagle bustles that were fancy dance bustles. So it’s a top bustle and a bottom bustle and then one traditional bustle, an eagle bustle, which is just one bustle and all their beadwork,” Webster said. “Their roaches were stolen, which is like their headpiece and then the feathers that go on the roaches.”
Webster filed a police report and posted about the stolen regalia on social media.
“We are going to pray for the people that stole this, we are going to pray that we get the outfits back and if we don’t we move on,” Webster said. “We don’t hold no animosity towards anybody because that’s not the kind of people we are.”
If you have any information on the whereabouts of the stolen regalia, please call (505) 242-COPS.
Statement From Gathering of Nations
The Gathering of Nations Powwow is saddened by the theft of dance regalia to several of our dancers and guests to the Powwow. The theft and burglary happened at a HOTEL on the Westside of Albuquerque, NM and NOT at the Gathering of Nations Powwow. The Gathering of Nations Powwow Parking lots are secure and throughout the weekend, there were no car thefts, break-ins, or burglaries in the Parking lots at Expo NM per the NM State Police. We hope that these photos will help find the stolen dance regalia. If anyone has information on this incident or has found these items, please contact the Albuquerque Police Department at (505) 242-2677 immediately.
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Wow so sad
Do you know if the single bustle had a center with red triangles(star) and the cloth was green with vertical white and then green, orange and red geometric designs?
Sorry I don’t know.
Could we start a Go Fund Me account to help replace this terrible loss? I imagine even a small donation will help with the loss and heart break.
This happened last year (I believe). It was taken off a plane. Sick people. Where are they going to use it? Pictures will be at all the Pow-wow’s.
I’ve starting looking at the info needed for a GoFundMe page and I think it would be most appropriate if powwows.com could fill out the information – name and address of the people who would be recipients – the family with the stolen regalia. It just seems more trustworthy if powwows.com could get the ball rolling with the details with the more confidential details.
I had read a comment from someone in the ABQ area about theft at local hotels in the area and tried to warn people in advance of GON.
I am so, so sorry that the theft happened!!!!!
This is beyond evil. To the people who did this why? If you needed something someone would have,I am sure, would have helped you. Praying that you will have the sense to realize that what you did was wrong. LJ Steele