San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
A YEAR WITHOUT POWWOWS
Pandemic robs area Indigenous groups of celebrations, a hit to economic, health and cultural well-being
The powwow is a celebration of life and renewal so it’s fitting that Annalisa Berrios embraces the “fancy shawl” dance, also known as the butterfly dance because its movements recreate the moment the winged insect emerges from its cocoon.
Berrios, 33, recently felt like she, too, was emerging from a long hibernation.
For the first time since the pandemic began a year ago, she was able to gather with other dancers in February. It was a homecoming of sorts for the member of the Payómkawichum (Pechanga) Nation near Temecula.
For Berrios, the powwow circle is where she reconnects with loved ones, where she prays and strengthens her spirituality, and where she one day hopes to pass along Indigenous cultural traditions to her two sons, who at 3 and 5 are not quite ready to dance on their own.
She works for the tribe as a youth program assistant, and in her free time, she teaches other young women and girls to dance through her Fancy Moccasins Dance Organization.
After months of planning and fundraising through performances and snack bars, the group was excited about attending the world’s largest powwow last year in Albuquerque, The Gathering of Nations. It would’ve been the first time attending the event for many of the dancers, who range in age from 6-year-old tots to women in their 20s and 30s.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, The Gathering of Nations and other powwows were canceled one by one.
“It was devastating, especially to a lot of my young girls because they have never been and it was something that was always talked about within our group,” Berrios said.
It has now been a whole year without any powwows or social gatherings, and without any planned events on the horizon, it has left many Indigenous people yearning to return to the dance circle and the community’s heartbeat: the drum, which carries the prayers of dancers and singers.
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to devastate and the gathering of cultures and nations throughout Indian Country has come to a halt. With a yearlong cancellation of powwows comes a huge hit to the economic, health and cultural well-being to many who travel the powwow circuit.
Today, Indigenous people gather for powwows throughout North America to connect with other nations; sell handmade crafts, crafting materials and traditional foods; sing and dance; and pass cultural practices from one generation to the next.
There are many people who travel the powwow circuit from spring through late fall to earn money to care for their family’s needs. Many powwow vendors, dancers and singers travel around the country throughout the summer, using their earnings from selling their wares, playing traditional music or winning dance competitions to fund the drive to the next event.
Having a year without powwows due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic also means that people who depend on the powwow circuit to sustain their livelihoods have taken a major economic hit. Chris Tracy and her daughter Svea Komori-ang, owners of Dancing Bear Indian Trader in Escondido, have regularly traveled to powwows.
Although she was not born into an Indigenous family, Tracy started attending powwows with her friends in the 1990s and was adopted into the Cheyenne tribe by an elder in 2001.
Before the pandemic, Tracy and Komori-ang would set up their booth at powwows to sell beads and regalia supplies every weekend in the fall and at least two powwows a month throughout the rest of the year.
It has now been more than a year since their last event in January 2020.
“Everything shut down and all the powwows fell down like a house of cards,” she said. “It was pretty scary for us because we have our store income, but it isn’t that big. We do have a website, and it all kind of adds in, but the powwows are a big part of our income, so that was a big blow.”
Others also have felt a financial loss: dancers, singers and drum groups who either compete or perform at powwows.
Training for and dancing at powwows is just one way that Indigenous youth learn about and connect with their culture. Not only does this help traditional knowledge to thrive and spread throughout communities, but it can build healthy habits such as maintaining fitness and avoiding the use of drugs and alcohol.
The Gathering of Nations attracted nearly 3,000 dancers and 91,000 spectators from around North America in 2019 and had an estimated economic impact of $22 million for Albuquerque, according to the AP News. Powwow organizers expected to award more than $200,000 awarded to competitors in a variety of dance styles and age groups last year before the event was canceled. This year, it will be held virtually.
lauren.mapp@sduniontribune.com