New Year's Eve events celebrate sobriety
December 30, 2004
By Jan-Mikael Patterson
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK - New Year's Eve celebrations this year will encourage area residents to celebrate life with sobriety. Planned events include gourd dances and powwows in Gallup, Shiprock, and Ganado, Ariz.

"Here at NCI (Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc.) that's our main focus," said Priscilla Morris, organizer for the eighth annual NCI Sobriety/Wellness Gourd Dance and Powwow. "We all know that alcohol has affected the reservation and everybody from the reservation comes to Gallup.

" Although this weekend's holiday calls for celebration and many people are going to party, the intent of the NCI event is to celebrate with dancing and singing, to be with family and friends, Morris said.

"The singing and dancing helps keep their minds at ease," she said. "It's a place to come and dance."

The NCI Powwow will be held at the Gallup Junior High School gymnasium, which is good news because many people had to be turned away at last year's event at the University of New Mexico - Gallup gymnasium. The building reached its maximum occupancy limit of 900 people.

"There were a lot of disappointments," Morris said. "I'm happy to say that the Gallup Junior High School is allowing us to use their gym."

An eagle claw staff is used by a dancer at the Little Mesa Powwow at Tohajiilee, N.M. Aug. 22. The spirit and power of gourd dancing and powwows will be on display at events marking the New Year this weekend. (Special to the Navajo Times - Donovan Quintero)

The junior high gym holds 2,600 people and is equipped with bleachers so powwow goers don't have to bring chairs.

Gourd dancing will take place from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and grand entry for the powwow will be at 7 p.m. The northern host drum is the Rio Grande Singers, the members of which are from various pueblos in New Mexico, and the southern drum is the Cozad Singers from Hominy, Okla.

In Ganado, Ariz., the Cathedral Lakes New Year's Contest Powwow will begin with gourd sessions at 4 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday, in the old high school fieldhouse.

Grand entry for the powwow is at 7 p.m. Friday, and 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday. There is a dance contest for all categories and drum groups will be given an honorarium.

Jay Begaye and his drum group Cathedral Lakes will serve as host northern drum. The southern host drum is Kiowa Nation from Carnegie, Okla.

Begaye said this is the first powwow his group has organized and hosted in eight years. The last powwow, called the Winter Spring Celebration, was in 1992 at Toyei, Ariz., and he recalled it being a success with a packed gymnasium.

"We did our first recording in seven years on Dec. 10 and in honor of that, we want to have this celebration," Begaye said. "This was a way for the boys to get back together. People are always asking when the group was getting back together."

Since the group took a break from singing in 1993, his singers have dispersed throughout the country. He said most have become family men and he is looking forward to meeting new faces.

The Cathedral Lakes powwow will include special events in addition to the gourd dances and contest dancing. On Friday night, Begaye hopes the dance contest will end by 11:30 p.m. so that singers can usher in 2005 with a round dance and hand-drum singing. Begaye invites all singers to bring their hand drums to celebrate.

On Saturday, the James and Ernie comedy duo will provide an afternoon of entertainment set to begin at 3 p.m. Later that night, Begaye will sponsor the Men's Chicken Dance Special contest, where dancers will strut their moves under a spotlight.

Admission is $4 per person and children under 6 are free. Special rates may be applied for elders. Arts and crafts vendors are welcome and singers are encouraged to bring their own chairs. Roderick Notah and Company of Chinle will provide the sound system.

Begaye also has several dance categories open for sponsorship.

In Shiprock, the Native American Church of New Mexico New Year's Eve Gourd Dance Celebration will begin at noon on Friday. The southern host drum will be The Long Walk Descendents led by Michael Coan of Yah Ta Hey, N.M.

The event will take place at the Nataani Nez Elementary School gymnasium with a $2 admission fee.

Leonard Anthony, organizer and master of ceremonies for the event, said the focus of the gourd dance is not only celebrating sobriety "but restoring of the kinship for many young people."

"It's also to promote a healthier lifestyle," Anthony said. "The cultural identity is lacking in our communities. Powwows are good but it takes money to put one together. Gourd dancing is also good. It's a good way to support one another."

Anthony said he worked with the NCI powwow and thought that this year, he would help bring it to the Shiprock area since many of last year's dancers came from Shiprock.

Information: call Priscilla Morris, 505-722-2177; Jay Begaye, 928-755-3337 or jay_begaye@ganado.k12.az.us; and Leonard Anthony, 505-215-0245 or hoganchild65@yahoo.com or visit www.powwows.com.