Pauly Denetclaw
ICT
One of the largest powwows in North America is set to close this year. For the past 43 years, Indigenous people from all over the world gathered in the high deserts of the Southwest to dance, sing, perform, compete and others were there to just experience the pulsing excitement of more than 2,000 powwow dancers. The event drew 100,000 visitors and attendance throughout the event remained above 20,000 attendees at any one time, according to data from the City of Albuquerque.
The final Gathering of Nations Powwow will be held April 24th and 25th at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
According to their frequently asked questions, the powwow is ending because of long-term planning and coordination challenges that are beyond their control — for this reason they have chosen to “close this chapter.”
The event was produced by Gathering of Nations, Ltd, a nonprofit organization, founded by Derek Matthews, who has no tribal affiliation, and his wife Lita Matthews, Santa Clara Pueblo. Derek and Lita Matthews are directors for the nonprofit and serve as two of the three board members, according to New Mexico’s Secretary of State website.
The nonprofit that produces Gathering of Nations, which owns the trademarks for Miss Indian World and Gathering of Nations Powwow, will remain to exist. Beyond the powwow the nonprofit will continue its work and mission.
In its 2013 tax filing, the nonprofit stated that its mission is to “promote and highlight American Indian culture and traditions, to promote positive lifestyles for Native Americans. Production of annual Gathering of Nations Powwow.” Its most recent tax filing was not found.
The powwow unofficially began in 1983 at the University of New Mexico. It was held for many years at the iconic “Pit,” the University of New Mexico’s 15,411 seated indoor arena. In 2017, it moved to Expo New Mexico, which hosts the annual New Mexico State Fair.
The Gathering of Nations is more than a powwow. It grew to include the Miss Indian World pageant, Stage 49, Trader’s Market, and Horse and Rider Regalia Parade.
Natasha Kingbird, Red Lake Nation, has attended Gathering of Nations twice before. Kingbird is fundraising for her nephew Malachi Norris, 17, who is the current Red Lake Senior Brave, to attend the powwow and represent Red Lake Nation.
“It’s a historic powwow,” Kingbird said. “I’ve heard about it a lot of times. I’ve seen it in movies, and I just thought it would be really impactful and important for him to attend so he could experience the Gathering of Nations Powwow.”
In the 2003 movie, “Dreamkeeper,” the All Nations Powwow was inspired by Gathering of Nations. The film had John Trudell, Gary Farmer, Eddie Spears, Tantoo Cardinal and other notable Indigenous actors.
She is also bringing her 11-year-old son and is excited for him to experience this huge event. Kingbird, who has been dancing since she took her first steps at a powwow in Saskatchewan, is still deciding if she will participate. She dances women’s traditional and jingle.
If she does, it won’t be as a contest contemporary.
“I would go dance traditionally, ” Kingbird said. “I can say that I was there, and was able to dance, for those who can’t dance any longer.”
In 2024, Charlotte, 13, and Jessie Morse, 11, both Haliwa Saponi, flew with their family from the East Coast to attend and compete in the powwow. It was overwhelming for the sisters at first. This was the largest powwow they had ever danced in.
Jessie Morse remembered how challenging it was to dance because there were so many people.
“People’s jingles and dresses kept kind of hitting me, and I kept, like, bumping into people, because I can only move like a step, and then I’d be stopped again by another person,” Jessie Morse said.
Charlotte and Jessie are growing up in Washington, D.C., hundreds of miles from their tribal nation in North Carolina. At times, they’re the only Native American students in their schools or classes. It was exciting for them to be around so many other Indigenous people.
“I definitely felt, like, very comfortable. Like, no one’s judging anyone. We’re all connected, even though all our tribes are different,” Charlotte Morse said. “I really liked it because it’s not really something I experienced a lot, but it really felt different.”
Their mother Dana Hedgpeth, Haliwa Saponi, was really grateful that her family — daughters, mother, aunt, sister, and nephews — were able to attend the powwow at least once. It was challenging to align the schedules of six adults and four kids, but in the end it was so worth it.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us,” Hedgpeth said. “It was a great experience for us, and we’re blessed and lucky, we got to go before it ended.”
Economic impact
The City of Albuquerque has seen economic benefits to its local economy because of the annual powwow.
“It’s really hard to say overall, because we would have to go back, and look at every single year individually. But what we can see in at least the last three to five years is that they’ve brought in anywhere from $24 to $30 million — whether that be through hotels, through food venues, vendors that are traveling as well as tourists,” Brandi Ahmie, liaison for the city’s Office of Native American Affairs, told ICT.
People stay at the event for an average of nearly five hours with 27,000 to 35,000 people entering throughout the day.
“We can see that between the U.S. and Canada, there were over 700 different tribes that came to either participate or just celebrate in these gatherings, as well as non-Natives alike,” Ahmie, Pueblo of Laguna, said. “As much as we focus on the tribes that attend, this was also a gathering for people that were experiencing this, sometimes for the first time, like international travelers.”
Around the powwow, hotel occupancies increased by 20 percent, said Ahmie.
“We’re going to see that it is a loss in many ways, economically, as well as visitors that are coming to attend,” she said. “But overall, to be in existence for 43 years says something.”
Boycotts, viral rants and critiques
The powwow has not been without controversy. Many people criticized Derek Matthews for being a non-Native person who is profiting off a powwow, which is a part of many tribes’ cultural practices and ceremonies. A boycott was called after the public discovered that Indigenous singers, bands, rappers and other artists who perform at Stage 49 weren’t being compensated.
The powwow became too expensive to attend, and compete in. Yet, organizers complained about profitability, causing some to question where the revenue was going.
Matthews went viral two years ago for going on a rant to address online criticism. His six-minute speech concluded with him flashing a handheld mirror at the packed arena and telling his critics to look in the mirror.
Multiple requests for an interview with the Gathering of Nations organizers went unanswered by the time this story was published.
Ahmie is hopeful that the Indigenous community in Albuquerque will consider continuing an annual powwow.
“As much as it’s sad to see in many ways, the community around Albuquerque is not going away. We still have very strong powwow ties,” Ahmie said. “Although we’re seeing this as something that’s ending, there’s also the potential for growth. What can the community do to step back into this space?”