Sobriety to be celebrated this New Year
NCI sponsors family-friendly events

By Elizabeth Hardin-Burrola
Staff Writer

GALLUP — This Saturday will mark the ninth year area residents can celebrate New Year's Eve with four family-friendly events a gourd dance, a pow-wow, a Navajo moccasin or shoe game, and some traditional youth activities.

The 9th Annual NCI Wellness/Sobriety Gourd Dance and Pow-wow and related events are sponsored by the Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. and all are alcohol and drug free. This year's theme is "Rejoicing Wellness and Sobriety into 2006."

The gourd dance and pow-wow will be held at Gallup Junior High School, 680 S. Boardman Dr., and the Navajo shoe game and youth activities will be held at NCI, 2205 E. Boyd. Admission is either a non-perishable food item, a new toy, or school supplies. Gourd dance and pow-wow participants are asked not to bring their own chairs this year as the school gymnasium bleachers will easily seat 3,000 visitors.

In an interview on Monday, Dr. Kevin Foley, a psychologist with NCI, and Savannah Sherman, the current Miss NCI Pow-wow Princess, talked about the New Year's Eve events. Foley is overseeing the events' organization, and Sherman is slated to crown the new Miss NCI Pow-wow Princess on Saturday evening.

According to Foley, the annual event has a three-fold purpose. First, he said, the event is designed to celebrate the New Year, secondly it is designed to provide a safe and sober environment for families to celebrate together, and thirdly it provides recognition and honor to people who are living lives of recovery from alcohol and drug abuse.

Each year the pow-wow features a round dance to honor participants in recovery, Foley said. Participants with decades of sobriety are honored first, he explained, on down to those who are just beginning to try to live a sober life.

More than 3,000 people attended the gourd dance and pow-wow last year, Foley said. Although he did not have specific statistics, Foley said Gallup city officials have told NCI representatives that they believe the events have helped to reduce the number of people going to Gallup bars on New Year's Eve and helped to reduce the number of barroom disruptions.

Foley, who has been with NCI for five years, provided a chart that compares protective custody admissions at NCI for the years 1994 and 2004. The year 2004 saw fewer admissions, with the month of August showing the least differences (198 less admissions) and the month of April showing the greatest differences (750 less admissions).

NCI officials see the New Year's Eve events as being a part of Mayor Bob Rosebrough's initiatives to address Gallup's alcohol abuse problems. Rosebrough represents the city at the pow-wow each year, Foley said, and has issued a proclamation in support of this year's events.

Local law enforcement agencies have become particularly supportive, he added.

"They see this as a DWI prevention activity," he said.

Foley said the New Mexico State Police is donating the services of nine police officers, the Gallup Police Department is donating the services of two officers, and the Gallup Fire Department is donating the services of two EMTs to help with the events.

Saturday's schedule

According to Foley, the schedule for Saturday's events is as follows. The youth activities will be held at NCI from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The gourd dance will be held from noon until 5 p.m. at Gallup Junior High School, followed by the pow-wow grand entry at 6:30 p.m. The Navajo shoe game will begin at 7 p.m. at NCI.

The youth activities at NCI include traditional storytelling by elders, an explanatory shoe games for kids, stick games, string games, a beadwork class, and a one-hour workshop at 10 a.m. on Jingle Dress dancing, taught by Kelly Ross.

Larry Cozad from Hominy, Okla. will be the master of ceremonies for the gourd dance, and the head gourd dancer will be Lewis Cozad. Zuni Vietnam veterans will form the Color Guard for the gourd dance and pow-wow.

Donald Tolino of Gallup will be the master of ceremonies for the pow-wow, and Tom Goodluck of Phoenix, Ariz. will be the arena director. Young Bird from Pawnee, Okla. will be the host southern drum, and StarFeather from Jemez Pueblo, N.M. will be the host northern drum. Victor Bob of Gallup will be the head man dancer, Brandon Begay of St. Michaels, Ariz. will be the head boy dancer, Paula Feathers of Zuni, N.M. will be the head lady dancer, and Ciara Peshlakai of Crownpoint, N.M. will be the head girl dancer. About 20 arts and crafts vendors will have booths, and concessions will be sold.

After the 6:30 p.m. pow-wow grand entry, the new Miss NCI Pow-wow Princess will be crowned. Savannah Sherman, the current princess, was the first runner up during last year's pow-wow. She assumed the title in October 2005 after the previous winner stepped down. In her three months as princess, Sherman said she participated in Battered Families Services' pow-wow and march against domestic violence, as well as numerous other gourd dances, pow-wows, parades, and substance abuse awareness activities.

"It was an honor to hold the title for three months," said Sherman, a student at Wingate High School. "It was an awesome experience."

For information about entering the Miss NCI Pow-wow Princess Contest, contact Shar at (505) 722-8466. For information about the Navajo shoe game and youth activities, contact Anderson Hoskie at (505) 722-2177, ext. 117. For information about the gourd dance and pow-wow, call (505) 722-2177, ext. 122.

-Taken from the Gallup Independent: Tuesday, December 27, 2005

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Last modified: January 03, 2006