Mother’s Day Pow Wow is colorful cultural event
<center><table border=0 align=center><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>Dancers wait outside the tent during 2008 Pow Wow. Photo by pengwen</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/socorro_mothersday_powwow_main_image.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="Dancers wait outside the tent during 2008 Pow Wow. Photo by pengwen"></td></tr></table> </center>
Socorro – This year’s Mother’s Day PowWow, set for May 9 and 10 at Sedillo Park, promises to be bigger and better than ever. Two full days of dance contests, entertainment by well-known Native American signers and dancers along with special attractions make this event a good one for participants and those who just want to watch as well.
There is no admission charge so bring a comfy chair and your camera and be prepared to see some beautiful native dress and fascinating dancing.
Grand entries are set for 7 pm on Saturday and 1 p on Sunday. Andrew Thomas will return to play his native flute. Thomas, an internationally renowned Diné flutist, was born and raised in Gallup (Rock Springs Chapter) and now lives in Albuquerque. He is self taught and composes music from the heart. He performs at numerous venues across the globe. Through his music and his life, he is an activist in preserving Native ways, creating awareness of the need for communication across cultures, and protecting all human rights.
<table border=0 align=right><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer.</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/powwow_performers_inside_tent.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer."></td></tr></table>Popular Diné blues singer Skylar Wolf will sing for the audience; he will have Cds available for purchase.
Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer.
A special presentation on Saturday at 2 pm at the nearby Socorro Senior Center by members of the New Mexico Buffalo Soldiers Society will explain the history and importance of Buffalo Soldiers to America.
Pueblo throws – a traditional congratulatory event that you won’t want to miss – are scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s “throw” is sponsored by the Kanesta Family and Sunday’s by Sarracino Kitchen.
Another special event is the Eagle Feather presentation to dancer Kirk Kanesta, head teen boy dancer.
The theme for this year’s Pow Wow is “Think Green”. Recycling bins, provided by the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce, will be on-site for recycling aluminum cans and plastic. Demonstrations and information about green technology also are planned.
For dance and other information, call organizer Donna Monette, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, 505-881-8847. For vendor information, call Lori Scholes, Ojibwa, 575-854-3091 or email lori@ranchomagdalena (lori@ranchomagdalena).com
Participants include: Ramblin’ Rose, Mescalero, southern drum; Red Nation, Jemez, northern drum; lag bearers are the Silver City Viet Nam Veteran Color Guard. MC is Rick Poolaw, Kiowa. Arena director is Paul Pacheco Jr., Dakota Sioux, Santo Domingo.
Head Gourd dancer is Barney Botone, Blackfoot/Kiowa; head judge is Alfreda Estavan, Acoma. Chris Padilla, Isleta/Laguna, is head man dancer for Saturday and for Sunday Ron Martinez Looking Elk, Isleta/Taos, will be head dancer.
Justine Morgan, Alamo Navajo, is head lady dancer. Head teen girl is Angel Pacheco, Santo Domingo/ Dakota; head teen boy is Kirk Kanesta. Head little girl dancer is Pearl Pike, Mescalero; and head little boy dancer is Riley Spoonhunter, Arapaho/Dakota.
Spiritual leader is Casey Church, Pokagon Band Potawatomi.
Head cook is Faye Sarracino with Sarracino’s Kitchen.
<hr align=center size=1 width=50% color=black>
<table cellpadding=10 bgcolor=#EAE65E bordercolor=#000000 border=1><tr><td><center><font color=#2D89E5>
Energetic Donna Monette is powerhouse behind Socorro’s PowWow
By Gwen Roath - Steppin’ Out</font></center>
<font color=#2D89E5>Socorro – It could be said that Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow here.</font>
<table border=0 align=right><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>... Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow ...</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/socorro_mothersday_powwow_donnamonette_image.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="... Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow ..."></td></tr></table><font color=#2D89E5>It could be said that it’s her persistence.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Either way, Donna Monette is the undeniable force behind what as become a very popular event – both with the participants and those who come to watch.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“They like it because it’s outdoors,” said Donna of the dancers. “We’re listed as five star in some magazines!</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“I don’t know what five star means, “ Donna adds, “but I figure we’re getting somewhere!” Last year’s event garnered lots of positive press.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>So how did a Choctaw/Turtle Mountain Chippewa from Albuquerque end up organizing the annual Socorro event?</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“I was selling my t-shirts,” Donna recalls, in Albuquerque at the then Four Seasons Hotel. Her friend Faye invited her to come down to Socorro to the Alamo Arts and Crafts center. There, the friends set up an exhibit space and began thinking about having a PowWow. “The Mayor came in one day and toured the Center. He said, ‘You ought to have a PowWow.’ He said come see me.”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna shakes her shoulders. “So, I went.”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna had a lot to learn that first year. While she had been to PowWows, “I was always busy folding my t-shirts, I wasn’t involved in the PowWow.” She began attending the Spirit of Albuquerque Committee meetings to learn more.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>There’s even a special way to ask a dancer to participate, Donna relates, “I had to learn how to do it. “ The tradition is to give them a pouch of tobacco.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>That first year, the one day event did not attract many dancers since it wasn’t a contest. But there were exhibition dances and plenty of vendors. The Socorro Chamber was also instrumental in organizing the first year’s event with help from the Alamo Arts & Crafts Center.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>The first PowWow was very successful attracting a big crowd of enthusiastic people.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Afterwards, Donna said, “I told Mr. Bursum: I never want to do that again.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“He said, ‘Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet.’”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna pauses in her recollection.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“It’s because all they see is the drunk Indians on the plaza,” Donna says softly. “So that’s my mission – to show Native Americans in the best light. That’s why I’m very careful to announce everyone’s tribe; people come from around the nation. Some of those who come from the farthest away have ties to this area.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“If someone had told me 10 or 12 years ago that I’d be putting on a PowWow, I’d say “you are crazy!”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>For the record, Donna comes from a family of nine children. Her mother was Choctaw from Oklahoma and her father was Turtle Mountain Chippewa from North Dakota. They met in Kansas and moved to Albuquerque in 1955 where he was employed by the Atomic Energy Commission. Donna was sent to a boarding school in South Dakota and later returned in Albuquerque, graduating with a practical nursing degree. She is still a nurse, working nights, and filling her days with planning and preparations for the next PowWow.</font>
</td></tr></table>
<center><table border=0 align=center><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>Dancers wait outside the tent during 2008 Pow Wow. Photo by pengwen</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/socorro_mothersday_powwow_main_image.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="Dancers wait outside the tent during 2008 Pow Wow. Photo by pengwen"></td></tr></table> </center>
Socorro – This year’s Mother’s Day PowWow, set for May 9 and 10 at Sedillo Park, promises to be bigger and better than ever. Two full days of dance contests, entertainment by well-known Native American signers and dancers along with special attractions make this event a good one for participants and those who just want to watch as well.
There is no admission charge so bring a comfy chair and your camera and be prepared to see some beautiful native dress and fascinating dancing.
Grand entries are set for 7 pm on Saturday and 1 p on Sunday. Andrew Thomas will return to play his native flute. Thomas, an internationally renowned Diné flutist, was born and raised in Gallup (Rock Springs Chapter) and now lives in Albuquerque. He is self taught and composes music from the heart. He performs at numerous venues across the globe. Through his music and his life, he is an activist in preserving Native ways, creating awareness of the need for communication across cultures, and protecting all human rights.
<table border=0 align=right><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer.</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/powwow_performers_inside_tent.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer."></td></tr></table>Popular Diné blues singer Skylar Wolf will sing for the audience; he will have Cds available for purchase.
Also performing will be Wind Spirit Drum, the trio which features Windwalker, flute; Spirit Buffalo, drums and Anagque, their daughter, traditional Cherokee Shawl dancer.
A special presentation on Saturday at 2 pm at the nearby Socorro Senior Center by members of the New Mexico Buffalo Soldiers Society will explain the history and importance of Buffalo Soldiers to America.
Pueblo throws – a traditional congratulatory event that you won’t want to miss – are scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s “throw” is sponsored by the Kanesta Family and Sunday’s by Sarracino Kitchen.
Another special event is the Eagle Feather presentation to dancer Kirk Kanesta, head teen boy dancer.
The theme for this year’s Pow Wow is “Think Green”. Recycling bins, provided by the Socorro County Chamber of Commerce, will be on-site for recycling aluminum cans and plastic. Demonstrations and information about green technology also are planned.
For dance and other information, call organizer Donna Monette, Turtle Mountain Chippewa, 505-881-8847. For vendor information, call Lori Scholes, Ojibwa, 575-854-3091 or email lori@ranchomagdalena (lori@ranchomagdalena).com
Participants include: Ramblin’ Rose, Mescalero, southern drum; Red Nation, Jemez, northern drum; lag bearers are the Silver City Viet Nam Veteran Color Guard. MC is Rick Poolaw, Kiowa. Arena director is Paul Pacheco Jr., Dakota Sioux, Santo Domingo.
Head Gourd dancer is Barney Botone, Blackfoot/Kiowa; head judge is Alfreda Estavan, Acoma. Chris Padilla, Isleta/Laguna, is head man dancer for Saturday and for Sunday Ron Martinez Looking Elk, Isleta/Taos, will be head dancer.
Justine Morgan, Alamo Navajo, is head lady dancer. Head teen girl is Angel Pacheco, Santo Domingo/ Dakota; head teen boy is Kirk Kanesta. Head little girl dancer is Pearl Pike, Mescalero; and head little boy dancer is Riley Spoonhunter, Arapaho/Dakota.
Spiritual leader is Casey Church, Pokagon Band Potawatomi.
Head cook is Faye Sarracino with Sarracino’s Kitchen.
<hr align=center size=1 width=50% color=black>
<table cellpadding=10 bgcolor=#EAE65E bordercolor=#000000 border=1><tr><td><center><font color=#2D89E5>
Energetic Donna Monette is powerhouse behind Socorro’s PowWow
By Gwen Roath - Steppin’ Out</font></center>
<font color=#2D89E5>Socorro – It could be said that Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow here.</font>
<table border=0 align=right><tr><td><caption><font size=-1 face="Arial Narrow" color=#000000>... Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow ...</font></caption><img src=http://steppinoutnewmexico.com/images/socorro_mothersday_powwow_donnamonette_image.jpg border=1 align=right vspace=5 hspace=5 alt="... Donna Monette’s excitement is the moving force behind the annual Mother’s Day PowWow ..."></td></tr></table><font color=#2D89E5>It could be said that it’s her persistence.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Either way, Donna Monette is the undeniable force behind what as become a very popular event – both with the participants and those who come to watch.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“They like it because it’s outdoors,” said Donna of the dancers. “We’re listed as five star in some magazines!</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“I don’t know what five star means, “ Donna adds, “but I figure we’re getting somewhere!” Last year’s event garnered lots of positive press.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>So how did a Choctaw/Turtle Mountain Chippewa from Albuquerque end up organizing the annual Socorro event?</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“I was selling my t-shirts,” Donna recalls, in Albuquerque at the then Four Seasons Hotel. Her friend Faye invited her to come down to Socorro to the Alamo Arts and Crafts center. There, the friends set up an exhibit space and began thinking about having a PowWow. “The Mayor came in one day and toured the Center. He said, ‘You ought to have a PowWow.’ He said come see me.”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna shakes her shoulders. “So, I went.”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna had a lot to learn that first year. While she had been to PowWows, “I was always busy folding my t-shirts, I wasn’t involved in the PowWow.” She began attending the Spirit of Albuquerque Committee meetings to learn more.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>There’s even a special way to ask a dancer to participate, Donna relates, “I had to learn how to do it. “ The tradition is to give them a pouch of tobacco.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>That first year, the one day event did not attract many dancers since it wasn’t a contest. But there were exhibition dances and plenty of vendors. The Socorro Chamber was also instrumental in organizing the first year’s event with help from the Alamo Arts & Crafts Center.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>The first PowWow was very successful attracting a big crowd of enthusiastic people.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Afterwards, Donna said, “I told Mr. Bursum: I never want to do that again.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“He said, ‘Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet.’”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>Donna pauses in her recollection.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“It’s because all they see is the drunk Indians on the plaza,” Donna says softly. “So that’s my mission – to show Native Americans in the best light. That’s why I’m very careful to announce everyone’s tribe; people come from around the nation. Some of those who come from the farthest away have ties to this area.</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>“If someone had told me 10 or 12 years ago that I’d be putting on a PowWow, I’d say “you are crazy!”</font>
<font color=#2D89E5>For the record, Donna comes from a family of nine children. Her mother was Choctaw from Oklahoma and her father was Turtle Mountain Chippewa from North Dakota. They met in Kansas and moved to Albuquerque in 1955 where he was employed by the Atomic Energy Commission. Donna was sent to a boarding school in South Dakota and later returned in Albuquerque, graduating with a practical nursing degree. She is still a nurse, working nights, and filling her days with planning and preparations for the next PowWow.</font>
</td></tr></table>