2007 Powwows - Smaller?

[WhoMe]

As the end of the 2007 powwow season approaches, we can look back at a year in powwows.

One observation that I have noticed is the general decline in attendance this year. This is from my personal observation and from my family and friends who have also noticed a decline in attendance from previous years. Of course there are exceptions, but this has seemed to be the trend for 2007.

Have you noticed that powwows this past year have less dancers, drums and spectators?

What particular powwows have you been to that were smaller?

What are some of the reasons for this decline?

Did you attend less powwows this year?

[50cal]

Gathering of Nations was definately smaller.....

one thing I can attribute to the decline in attendance would be high gas costs....
That is one reason I stopped going to powwows, also work schedule during this time of year is hectic and unbelievably long.....7-12's.....with one weekend off and I would rather stay home and rest up for the next 3 week evolution....

[Josiah]

Red Earth this year seem to have more dancers but less spectators...

Went to about 20 dances this year and plan on the same number in 2008

[Dakota Sandz]

depends what region your going to powwows in...I dunno aobut the east coast or the south, but powwows I went to in ND and SD were alright. Sask powwows have gotten smaller over the years, with the exception of saskatoon.Lot of that has to do with lackluster promotion as well. Lots of locals and canadians, but waaay fewer americans then say 5-7 years ago. Prolly wont get any better too in 2009 when Bush says people have to have a passport to cross into canada. Us, it wont be so bad..you guys got the J treaty so we can cross easily.

[Side_steppin_sweetie]

I know what you mean about Sask powwows. The only ones that we do go to are the casino ones. I don't know why we don't go to the smaller one....probably because they are just so predictable- but I guess most pow-wows are now a days. lol. and in regards to Saskatoon I disagree- that pow-wow has gotten a lot smaller, and it keeps getting smaller and more boring. lol. Too much of a show I think- too much politics involved. Also a lot of drama involving someone of high, very high status caught doing a major no-no. lol. And his belief of other tribes. It's sad, really sad.
Personally, I love Alberta pow-wows...you can always expect great attendance and damn jammin' drums. As for the states, cannot comment a whole lot, because the powwows that we do go to down there, seem damn BIG to me.lol.

[Coyot_In_The_House]

Seems to always flucuate.....

What I miss is camping....I grew up camping powwow to powwow...Now we hotel it up complete with restuarants....Sure there are some real specific reasons why it may be practical to stay in a room, but 20-30 years ago we camped everywhere....Gas prices have been nuts lately and its expensive. I get a kick out of hearing how we used to powwow to take our minds off of the bills and what not...But now we go to Powwows to just breathe that drama right in....? Well some not all....I suppose they say times change....We went to some cho powwows this year though.....

[WhoMe]

Okay, how 'bout other big ones like Morongo, Toronto, Denver March, NMAI?

[ndnsooner]

Have you noticed that powwows this past year have less dancers, drums and spectators?

What particular powwows have you been to that were smaller?

What are some of the reasons for this decline?

Did you attend less powwows this year?

Seems like part of the pow-wows I went to we're smaller, for some of the okie pow-wows its hard to tell. The ones I thought were smaller, were WSU in St Louis, Haskell, Macy, UND Timeout Wacipi, Shakopee and Durant. The traditional pow-wows we went to were huge, Morton, MN, LCO, Ponemah, MN, and Tama. The thing going for traditional pow-wows are meals are being provided once or twice a day and people are getting day money. The Procalmation Day pow-wow in Tama was twice as big as last year, but its a mid-week pow-wow and they did a good job of getting drums in because of 2 big drum contests.

We attended far more pow-wows this past year than we have over the last several years. We hit pow-wows in at least 8 states and 1 province. Alot of this is due to a good job where I have 15 days of vacation per year and living in Iowa where you just a few hours away from alot of pow-wows.

I believe the major reason for decline is the price of gasoline. You can easily shell out $100 bucks just getting to a pow-wow. Before we hit the road, I always make sure that we have the funds to cover our expenses, don't want to count on winnings to get us home.

[timmy tiger]

I've cut back alot on the pow wow's that I go to lately. For me it's the gas prices. I am very picky to the ones that I go to now and most of them I know the people who run them. Last year we stayed in a couple of hotels a couple of times, this year we did that only once because of the expense to get there. Also, some of the prices at the pow wow's have gone up: Vendor fee's, gate fee's and etc, many have started to charge dancer's to get in the gate's and etc. The attendence in dancers and spectators seem to be down alot this past year as well at the ones that I have gone to.

The one in Cherokee seemed different this year too, but it was still nice. I had fun.

[Josiah]

I think Camping at a powwow is way cheaper than staying at Hotels
We camped at three this year
Plus you can control the cost of your meals
Flour can be used for
Pancakes
Biscuits
Frybread
Gravy

Hell thats Breakfast Lunch and Dinner!!!!

[timmy tiger]

Oh yeah, I can really agree with that. Lately, this past year, I've cut down on the groceries that I take with me. I take lunch meats, bread, eggs and fruit. If my family is there, my frybread is taken care of for the weekend. And my uncle likes fried bologne and eggs so that takes care of about two meals for all of us anyway. It's awesome.

[jed]

I think there are more people dancing than ever and there are more pow wows than ever. More powwows spreads people out.

As for spectators....well, unless they are true pow wow fans...who cares if they don't show up?

[eap7]

You're probably right, Who me, that some powwows were smaller. I bet the cost of gas factors in- not just with driving but also with flying. Airlines have to incorporate the gas rise too so fares are probably a little more expensive than usual.

[ndneyez]

oopsy :0)

[ndneyez]

I think there are more people dancing than ever and there are more pow wows than ever. More powwows spreads people out.

As for spectators....well, unless they are true pow wow fans...who cares if they don't show up?

Ummm......the vendors care about spectators. The pow-wow committee cares if they rely on "admission" to help with the cost of the pow-wow.
Don't look at spectators as "who cares if they show?" Look at them as $$$$ for the cause