Summer's Best Show
Pueblo Powwow enters its 16th year of dancing,
drumming
By Rick Romancito
This summer marks the 16th year that the Taos Pueblo Powwow
Committee, still made up of many original members, has put
on the best show of the summer.
Since it began, some of the babies who were lulled to sleep
by the sound of drums and jingling bells while lying in
blankets on the grass have become teen-agers. Some elders
who helped create the spirit of the powwow circle here have
passed into the spirit world itself. Jobs have come and
gone, marriages have taken place and, of course, more babies
have been born.
In all that time the powwow has been scheduled like clockwork
on the second weekend in July, providing a sense of continuity
that has kept locals and visitors coming back for more.
It has become one of the highlights along the powwow highway
for Native people and fans of Indian culture nationwide.
In recent years, estimates of 10,000 or more visitors have
come to the powwow from locations as far away as Canada,
Washington state and even from Europe.
Many have pointed out the spectacular location - alongside
the Taos tribe's expansive buffalo pasture under an unbroken
view of Taos Mountain - as one of its attractions. Others
have said they enjoy the atmosphere of friendliness and
respect for traditions here. Along with dancing, which is
conducted in a circular arena, evocative of the traditional
hoop of life, there are numerous food and craft booths where
visitors can partake of burgers and burritos to drum group
recordings, shawls, jewelry and souvenir goods. Free camp
sites on the grounds, where you can see teepees and traditional
arbors set up alongside pup tents and RVs, contributes to
the atmosphere of community during the three-day event.
While most participants are familiar with powwows and how
they are conducted all over the country, for many first-time
visitors it is an introduction to Native America that can
be surprising.
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