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

[moonshadow]

You know what must have been embarassing??? When Darryl "OG" Goodwill won the special over Julius and the crowd started booing.....that was totally uncalled for.....I felt really bad for my bro out there in the spotlight getting booed like that....I would not be surprised if he decides not to come back for next year.......

I think they were booing the judge that put him back in. At least the peep behind us were. He did the right thing after he missed a stop and stepped out. I think that was great. It was not his fault that they asked him to come back in. I hope everyone wasn't booing him. But I guess he felt that way...They were all great...I would hate to have to judge that catagory!

[moonshadow]

I think they need to put big yellow tape on the floor so they have an "express" lane down the middle for people that are trying to get somewhere and not looking at the vendor stuff around there....it was worse than trying to merge on the freeway!! LOL!!!

[bushy_braids]

Congrats to everyone!!!!
Also I missed the grass dance special and a lot of people were booing when the winner was annouced. I asked someone behind me who watched the copmetition and they said that Julius should have won it. Any thoughts????
Tallinjun

i got it all on tape - i'll be takin' video orders for copies of the grass dance special... just make your check or money orders out to bushy_braids... and i accept cash! - haha, jks
of course julius should have won - he's def one kick azz dancer, not to mention my FAV! it was a GREAT special but i also think that randy paskemin should have at least made the top four! they all booed when rusty gillette took 3rd too... it's a conspiracy! (sp?)

anyways... there was so much goin' on this weekend...
security was a trip! i had to fight 'em cause they almost didn't let me on the floor to snap some pix of some chicken dancers - we were almost fightin'... haha, jks - but they were just a lil' too uptight!
did ya'll happen to see the alaskan lady goin' off and lappin' the cloth dancers during competition????? THAT was funny!
how 'bout when tito started the solo clap? or when the crowd started the wave during MIW!?
i got it ALL on tape... hahaha... what a great time!

[injunboy]

when i first seen that lady from alaska i was like *damm those east coasters* but i realized that her kids sang earlier. then i couldnt stop watchin her.

i got the grass dance special on tape too. the booing was minor, there was ten times more cheering and women screaming - seriously!

wesley windyboy should have made it further. he started grooving in the middle of the arena. almost like he was havin sex with something.... the lakota gurls behind mee got stupid..!!

[Smeshigaud]

wesley windyboy should have made it further. he started grooving in the middle of the arena. almost like he was havin sex with something.... the lakota gurls behind mee got stupid..!!

[LiLT206]

when i first seen that lady from alaska i was like *damm those east coasters* but i realized that her kids sang earlier. then i couldnt stop watchin her.

i got the grass dance special on tape too. the booing was minor, there was ten times more cheering and women screaming - seriously!

wesley windyboy should have made it further. he started grooving in the middle of the arena. almost like he was havin sex with something.... the lakota gurls behind mee got stupid..!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!

He's everywhere jeeze...in this little powwow magazine I swear that camera taking person must love him or something...theres pictures, stories, and pictures at other powwows of him and something....seriously hes e verywhere in that magazine

[kamikaze_yazzie]

*L @ all the controversy.. i think thats the best part of gathering.. something ALWAYS happens~

My favorite part was when Eli Secody (sp?) proposed to his GF. When his voice started breaking up during his song i amost started crying *L. Congrats Guys!

[BurBz]

Another couple also got engaged this past weekend too..Shamaray Yazzie and Nathan Littlechild!! CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes to you both!!!

[mountaindew]

I agree with the comments that the powwow should be moved. I know I heard Derrick say something along that line a couple of years ago but nothing has ever happened. I didn't know that the Pit was the largest place for a powwow. If that's the case, then they should move it to another city, like some of the commentors were saying. It has outgrown the Pit. And I also felt sorry for those Elders who struggled trying to get up and down the steps. It's a wonder no one has gone into cardiac arrest. Maybe if that happened (God forbid), they might consider moving the powwow. I thought it was disrespectul for the crowd to boo during the special Grass Dance contest. I think DG still has the moves for his age. JNA is a good dancer but he's got some wild moves that are a bit much for me. I also thought it was disrespectful to the ladies that were entertaining when the crowd started the Wave. I saw them looking at each other in disbelief. I think they need to cut down on some of the activities they have going on. And as for Security, they sucked.

[injunboy]

some of the specials and other presentations go great and some just plain dont work... GON is known for that

the hawaiian dancers, shazaam, the apache crown dancers wow!, smoke dancing and tito too funney. soo back to those three ladies they got two songs in.. that was plenty

[injunboy]

oh yeah, i kept hearing plugs for "this other new" powwow site from the m.c.'s whats up with that?

[NDNQt]

I am curious - with all this controversy with Security - were they native or just some hired company? Because I just can't understand disrespecting the elders. Without them where we would we be? We wouldn't because we would have never been born.

On another note - I was looking at the list of winners - OMG I am soo old - I remember when Amos Yazzie was in Tiny Tots!

[ndncoolrain]

THere were two security guys there who were mad-dogging everyone walking down to the the arena. I sat all the way at the bottom. I don't know, some of the recorders go over the limit. I mean if they tell you to back off, geez back off! Then we wouldn't have the controversy. I think they should move Gathering to a larger arena, dancers were leaving because there wasn't enough room.

During Saturday's grand entry, they were telling everyone to move as far back from the floor as possible. When they announced the winner for Miss GON, a fan ran down to take a picture of her at the bottom step and the security told her to back off!! I know they are doing their job as instructed, but kicking out people is wrong. Jay Begay made that loud and clear!

I have to agree. Security was unbelieveable! I sat there and I watched them as they kept everyone off the floor. They were rude and very disrespectful. One of the security person is a relative and I was shameful for him especially when Jay Begaye made the announcement. The securities stood around, shook their heads "no" (like they didn't do anything)and became angry. You could see the anger on their faces. It was even said that the "securities job was on the line". I am in total agreement that they should be offered a Pow-wow 101 course. It was also said by the securities that people should get their facts straight before they talk and make a big deal of it. GON, if your reading this...hire a new security team and give them "respect lessons!"

[kiyaanii mom]

Another couple also got engaged this past weekend too..Shamaray Yazzie and Nathan Littlechild!! CONGRATULATIONS and best wishes to you both!!!

OH my goodness CONGRATS to them. I saw them together Saturday night. They are so cute together!

[ndn_thyme]

I consider GON a "New Age Contest Pow wow" so it doesn't surprise me about all the breaches in cultural protocols. This is what happens when you transplant a Plains type cultural gathering into a commercial place where there is no historical understanding. (that's why you heard the booing from the audience who doesn't know better -- it's not suppose to be a sporting event, although I did think they were booing the judges because the audience thought both Rusty & Julius should have got higher places in the specials. I had a diff. take on it.) But I still go because you do see something different, and I know that upfront. (I've got all summer & winter to see the real thing!!) Plus all of the good dancers and drum groups that attend & new pow wow fashions & trends/colors, etc. Also it's not often that you get to see the Native American celebs and entertainers trying to be Native. Somebody has got to give Irene Bedard some Kahomeni (two-step) lessons, plus that other guy from JAG, that was crazeee!!!! i thought with the UNM students judging on Sat. they totally went for contemporary in both the Men's Tradish & Women's jingle cuz they don't know what the origins & history of those dances are so they only looked for flash and also there were alot of local/regional dancers from the NM/CALI area that won because of the head dance judge being from Albuquerque. But that's okay, it always happens when you pick head judges from a particular area, there's going to be some bias because their going to pick judges they know, look at what happened last year and other previous years. in the end, it all washes out. I still give GON a thumbs up!