From the Autry National Center of the West & the Southern California Indian Center
It was listed as a major social and cultural event on the calendar of the Griffith Park museum of all things Western. But the 41st annual Pow Wow abruptly has been cancelled, the victim of a drop in donations linked to the nation's bad economy. Representatives of the sponsoring Native American group will be at the Autry on Aug. 1-2 to tell their story and maintain a presence. But the traditional dances, competitions and socializing that drew thousands, especially Native Americans from across the country, have been called off, the sponsors said. The Autry will put on its planned related programming, including its Native Voices performances and tours of its facilities focused on Native American life. At its blog, under the heading, "Plight of the Urban Indian," the folks at the Indian Center emphasized that grants and donations, which have withered, had underwritten the Pow Wow. And contrary to wide misperception, they said the nonprofit does not benefit from Indian gambling money or extensive government assistance programs; neither do most Native Americans, especially those off the reservations and living in metropolises like LA, they added.
Photo: A young dancer at earlier Indian Pow Wow / SCIC
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