Gathering of Nations Powwow to end largest American Indian event

UPI

4 hours ago

Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The Gathering of Nations Powwow will come to an end next year after the massive annual event drew native people from across North America for more than 40 years.
The Gathering of the Nations Limited, the organizers of the event that was billed as North America's largest powwow, announced in a press release Saturday the end of the annual gathering in Albuquerque, N.M., that has showcased American Indian dancing, music, food, arts and culture.
Each year, more than 3,000 dancers and singers from more than 600 Native American tribes and bands from the United States and Canada have traveled to the gathering, according to the website for Expo New Mexico, the event center that hosts the event each April.
The announcement comes just two years after the event saw a record 105,000 people attend the event with more than 4 million people watching online. The only comment the organizers offered in the press release was one sentence written in all caps: "There comes a time."
The powwow featured a grand entry, an elaborate procession in which dancers -- wearing colorful regalia and visually striking clothing and accessories -- make their way into the center of the event center's arena to the sound of rhythmic drumming.
The event also featured parades with horses in regalia, and the selection of Miss Indian World.
The powow generated about $30 million in economic activity in the city of Albuquerque, Reilly White, a finance professor at the University of New Mexico, told KOAT 7.
"It's an economic shock and a cultural loss all rolled into one thing," he said.
The powwow has used the same location since 2017, and the state is looking into redeveloping it, casting doubt on whether it could continue to be held there, reported the Albuquerque Journal.
Additionally, the Gathering of Nations organizers have faced criticism from some Native Americans that they were profiting from Indigenous culture -- a claim they rejected, the paper reported.
Next years' event will be the 43rd and final powwow. An online poster for next year's event prominently displays the words "The Last Dance."