It's April 24th *Thursday* and thousands of Natives from all over the United States will be descending upon Albuquerque, New Mexico., for the 31st Annual Gathering of Nations Powwow 2014.
Before the Gathering crew sets it stage to host a vast variety of traditional dances, beautiful regalia, wonderful powwow songs, delicious fry bread, contemporary artists, and to visitors from all over the world, lets take a sneak peak at all the behind the scenes happenings going on before Gathering starts.
This morning when I picked up my GON performer credentials, I over heard a lady in front of me say to the counter guy that shes been coming this powwow since its started! And the counter guy responded to her, “well you got me, I've been taking tickets here for the past 20 years” . So as you guys can see, this powwow is very special and has a loyal following lasting generations.
The main attraction at any powwow has always been the singer & dancers. Here's a quick look at this years dancers & singers arriving and waiting to start registration. Its a good feeling to be around these guys, you can already feel all the good medicine they'll giving to everyone on the dance floor.
The vendors are hard at work setting up their tables for the thousands of people visiting their booths inside. Inside, you'll be able to find anything & everything from jewelry, to a live demonstration with live eagles, a massage booth, and many other unique items.
This year I'm going to be hosting Stage 49, which will be held outside on the West side parking lot. Also outside are the food and merchandise booths! This area is going to be packed with visitors to watch local bands, comedians, traditional dance groups and a huge glow dance party!
Over the weekend Indian Country will be flooded on Facebook and Twitter with many photos of this weekend's Grand Entries! I had to take a photo before everyone got here to remind of the grandeur this beautiful venue will be hosting over the weekend! It's hard to believe this dance has been going strong for 31 years, here's to another 30!
Watch the Gathering of Nations LIVE!
