Controversy At GON???!!!???

[origstyle_singer]

Never been there....never will be there

After reading all these negative posts gives me all the reason to never go there. All of these posts are a good reason to BOYCOTT this pow-wow next year. As I had said in the thread from last year. It is obvious the people that run this pow-wow are making money hand over fist and the people that make this pow-wow what it is are getting paid peanuts! LAME AND WEAK!! I heard from my own relative's about how security was treating NDN's. They are never going back. There will always be those faithful GON attendee's. That's good for them. As people we can make or break this pow-wow. It's entirely overrated anywayz....I say BREAK IT!!

[sltate]

Well, I am sorry that all of those negative incidents had to take place at the pow wow.
But understand that this is a commercial pow wow, not a traditional pow wow and not run by traditional people. It is totally commercialized. I imagine they would have it somewhere else but having it there allows them to control the attendance and make a profit, not so with an outdoor pow wow. LOL
With as much money as this organization generates at this event, it would be a good idea to invest in splitting the categories..either by age or by dancing style(you know contemporary grass, jingle, northern cloth, southern cloth) as other big pow wows have done to give that large amount of dancers a feeling that they got a fair shake. The same with the drums..you know they take in enough money to do that if they are truly promoting singing and dancing. Everybody pays to dance sing and even to participate in the MIW contest.
Also, no dance judges were posted, so I understood that it was kind of chaotic in that area.
This is a good pow wow, everybody puts it on their list of "have to's" and it pays decent money, but it could be improved upon seeing it has grown and the dancing and singing categories are always packed. I think everyone would feel better if they just felt they got a fair shake.
But, that's just my two cents. LOL

[Dazzle_me_now]

The Pit is too small for the pow-wow. Ask Dazzle, I told her I wouldn't be there long cuz there is too many people for me. Feels like the walls are closing on me, LOL. Is the Pit bigger than Tingley? I think if the weather is nice, they should plan to have it outside...maybe if the Isotopes are on away games, they could have it there. *shrugs* Next year, I'll go to the pow-wow and just sit next to Dazzle! LOL

Section 8 Susie.... remember...section 8!! LMAO!!

[oOoSouthernStyozoOo]

Its not fair to some of the categories. They have teen boys southern straight, and northern traditional seperated, while the teen girls are combined. There isnt as much teen boy southern strait as there is teen gurls southern traditional. I remember one year, they only had a handful of teen boys southern. I thought that wasnt fair at all. Junior boys fancy and grass should also be seperated.

What about womens cloth? they are combined, i dont think thats fair at all, even at smaller pow-wows they seperate all of them. I think they should be fair with all categories. There is alot of dancers, it should be fair.

[woggs]

The powwow os fun and good, but i must agree that they are sort of ripping of the people who come every year..they wanted me to pay $19 for my three year old!! Crazy!..anyway after they announced winners and all, my buddy who sings said that 4th place drummers got $700....I was like WHOA..poor guys, thats what I got for 3rd in adults!....I think they need to put more cash into the singers...They have to split it among themselves and others, so a lil extra cash on the side may help, plus their songs are being recorded for the powwow's profit, so why can't some of the CD profit go towards the drummers!?

[Rick O'Shea]

Okay let's recap the problems with the Gathering Of Nations:

Security went power crazy.
It's too expensive to get in.
The lines are too long and they run out of weekend passes every year.
They should split some of the categories.
The Pit is too small for this powwow.
The money for the drum contest is a joke.
anything else?

Do you think the committee will actually listen to these complaints? Or will the "Pit" be just as packed next year with no changes in place?

[Rick O'Shea]

participating in pow-wows. Trust me in working the Gathering for a number of years I've seen way better drums than yours. You have potential but it needs to be cleaned up.

sometimes GON can be clueless, saying eyabay has potential is like saying microsoft has potential. and id like to meet these way better drums. this person is talkin out of his or her B**T!

I think the Event Staff was saying Atsa Butte had potential not Eyabay. That's the way I read it anyhow. None the less, it was a low comment.

[WocusWoman]

I forgot to add that his daddyz alwayz callin someone after a powwow that sonny doesn't win at. the powwow commitee, head staff, anyone who will listen i s'pose.

I HATE POWWOW NAZIS!

[cosmos]

The Pit will be packed next year and no changes.....My thoughts are.... if you don't like it, don't go! It's just that simple. It's not like someone is tying a rope around your neck and dragging you there. Well, if they do I'm sure they would have to pay your way in and around. There are some of us who enjoy the singing and dancing and seeing old friends from all over North America and are willing to pay the price. There's no way anybody can satisfy everybody, just be happy you are alive and get the chance to witness the beautiful people and dancing and singing even if it's just checking out the video and pictures that the webmaster has kindly posted on this website to share with you all. Like Burbs says, "get over it". My thoughts....

[Myles Mystic]

One of the things I don't like about this pow wow is that it is really commercialized. They charge how many people a day? ADMISSION? And yet they say they are a non profit organization. I would sure like to see the bank account statements from their organization. And another thing is that it is just too hot in the PIT. They should move it outside, people get nose bleeds and it's hot and stinky in there. If anything singers and dancers should not have to pay. And the food you'd think it would be made of gold for those prices. I say that this pow wow banked about 400,000 from admission and merchandising. And they still have the nerve to ask every Reservation for donations? And sponsorship? GON must have to be a million dollar franchise by now. And last time I was there I think It might have been 2001 Security were real assh#$%s If I remember correctly they even pushed an elder through the entrance because he was too slow. I don’t after this year It’ll probably be a longtime before I ever go back to this pow wow. I’m just fine enjoying the local pow wow circuit. But anyways that’s all I have to say.

[quicksilverwade]

WTF did this guy just say? Why do these guys try to talk all gangsta now? Is it rezbonics or something? Learn to talk people! lol my .02 worth.

I'm a pro at dialects especially when I have to talk to the Oriental girls on the phone, lol.

Alright for all you diehards making up shyt and everything. I heard a lot of different variations and people acting like they know but this is what happened.

I was whittling time away at the drum then I heard The Boyz were about to sing so I got off my high horse to go and watch them. Since my homie was singing with them, I worked my way up to the seats and shyt. I was overlooking them then this big a$$ motherfycker started to yell at me for watching them sing so I was like don't fycking yell at me what the fyck you! Then he kept saying that I had to go, so I started making my way back to the Eyabay drum. Then that motherfycker was trying be fast and swift by trying to grab me. By then he already called for some backup and fyck, that cunt grabbed my arm and left some big a$$ bruise on it. So anyways I was back at the drum and I was like whoa nelly! Let's try and work out a peaceful resolution and then that guy goes on his walkie talkie and starts calling for the cops. By now there are eight guards around me and and I was walking up the stairs to leave. I kept on talking to try and get these motherfyckers to let me back in because it was about one more drum away from singing a contest song. If I was able to sing that I would just leave and since this was my first time attending GON which was quite an awful experience when the security took away my right to sing. I felt that I let the people down because I always pray for everyone and when I'm at the drum it's like I think my prayers are heard the most. It's bad enough they don't let people record but when they start treating singers like this.

I'll let somebody else decipher the rest of this good story. It wasn't too hard since it is so enthralling, lol.

Where would powwow dancers need to dance to something and the singers make that music for them .. anyways i was outside by now and then the cops was there so they was trying to rip off that green wrist band off of me then this one guard whips out this shank "knife" bout 7 inches long so i'm scared *** **** cuz he was already coming at me with the knife and havin a cuttin motion and the cops there were no help just typical cops all eatin they burgers and fries so they didnt' say anything so im like **** that so i rip off the wrist band myself by now im all chillen outside GON for about 4 hours .. so i waited till night time when it got all busy and **** so i snuck in during grand entry changed up took off my glasses and ****.. i was pretty dissapointed with the treatment and those are facts where i can sue GON and i got that bruise on camera and video cam and several witnesses but i don't want to take that route just lettin people to know theres no need to take a violent action and...

LADIES IM SINGLE SO HIT ME UP :P lmfao gonna be in standford then crow so hit me up

[*Brown Eyed Gurl*]

[kitchemanitou]

Tawow

U haven't been to Saskatchewan yet-Gathering of Nations is 100'000 +
soon........soon...the time will come for the WORLD'S BEST OUTDOOR POWWOW!!

[BurBz]

Section 8 Susie.... remember...section 8!! LMAO!!

SUZIE!! you were there???? i was there tooooo!!!! sittin ummmm at the bottom of section 25 with my girls!

[billyjoejimbob]

I like that someone bashed me on my reputation points.

Like I care.

Does that affect my life? No. Im not an idiot. Bash me all you want you baby.

And I "will" complain all I want, Im not NDN, never will be, dont want to be. If anything, I want to be CLEAR.

As for COSMOS, yeah, it will be just as packed if not more. As long as they have money to give away.

CONTEMPTRADISH - call me you bum.