Columnist Susan Snyder: Veterans ready for a powwow

Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004 | 8:18 a.m.

The first Las Vegas Intertribal Powwow will celebrate ages-old cultures this weekend, thanks to a little modern-day technology.

Very little.

"We're pulling this off with an inkjet (printer) and my home computer," said Angel Washagizhak, a Las Vegas resident and member of the Ottawa tribe. "This thing has really mushroomed, and it's our home phone that is ringing off the hook."

The celebration, which they hope to make an annual event, will honor American Indians who are U.S. military veterans, along with various tribal cultures. Washagizhak was among those who came up with the idea while attending twice-monthly "talking circles" at the Las Vegas Indian Center.

"We wondered, 'How come nothing native ever happens in Las Vegas?' " Washagizhak said.

A small group of volunteers has worked tirelessly from their homes since summer to see that something does happen.

The festival is Saturday and Sunday at the Silver Bowl Sports Complex, 6800 E. Russell Road. Festivities start with a Gourd Dance at 11 a.m. each day and include a Grand Entry procession followed by a color guard, intertribal dance contests, drum circles and a wide assortment of vendors selling food and American Indian crafts.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted for the Intertribal powwow group, which is working on obtaining federal tax-exempt status.

Other Indian cultural festivals do exist locally. The Moapa Band of Paiutes hosted its annual powwow on the reservation in Moapa earlier this month, for example, and Overton's Lost City Museum hosted a tribal festival in October.

But a world-renowned city of 1.6 million sitting in the middle of the American West ought to have one of the biggest intertribal powwows in the country, and this weekend could be the start, Washagizhak said.

"We've got busloads of (American Indian) veterans from Louisiana and all over saying they're coming," she said.

World War II Navajo Code Talkers are traveling from New Mexico, and Ethel Dixon, a World War II veteran from Moapa, also will be honored. They had hoped for 50 veterans but may end up with more than 500.

"We're scrambling to come up with the money to feed them all," Washagizhak said.

She laughed and recalled a powwow colleague in Canada had warned, "If you knew what you were getting into, you'd be scared."

But the risks are worth it.

"Our culture needs to be restored," Washagizhak said.

Their hope is to open a nonprofit cultural center where American Indian arts, religion and traditions can be explored and promoted. They envision a place for youngsters to learn about their American Indian heritage, and adults can learn about and join groups for beadwork, weaving and other native arts.

"The Las Vegas Indian Center is good at what it does," she said, referring to its job-training and other social services. "But there's nothing culturally going on here. It's a cultural wasteland unless you like showgirls and rhinestones."

For more information on the powwow or to offer help or donations, call 457-0869.