Day 6 - Albuquerque

Before I go any further, I need to say thanks to Randy for all of the super fine movies that you've been watching.  He did a great job and once we get to the Grand Canyon, you'll see what lengths he went to to get some excellent footage.  Thanks, Sweetie!

Saturday, day 6,we slept in late and had brunch at the Route 66 Diner before heading over to the Pow Wow. The diner was like stepping into an episode of Happy Days. The walls were covered with advertising from the '50s and early '60s. There was a birthday party about to begin in the adjacent room and we could see the little girls all wearing their '50s garb with their little poodle skirts. The menu had almost every American dish under the sun.

The sky was overcast and it was very windy. As we pulled up to park at the PowWow we were able to overlook the city and saw that there was a huge dust storm so thick that it obliterated the view of the far side of the city. We had hoped to go on a hot air balloon ride at sunrise the next morning before leaving town, but unless these winds calmed down, there wasn't much of a chance of us going.

The Pow Wow itself was a great experience. It was the meeting of the entire Indian nation and people were there from all over the North American continent. The colors, music, voices.... it was fantastic. There were men and women of every age and shape ...they were beautiful! Randy and I were certainly in the minority with our pale white skin.There were vendors set up around the arena and in a series of shopping tents just outside of the arena. Native Americans were selling all sorts of handmade jewelry, moccasins, blankets, artwork, leather goods...All sorts of things.

It was wonderful to see them in their own element and exhibiting so much pride in their heritage. We seldom see the Native Americans in their interaction with one another. We only see the Hollywood version on TV that almost seem like a mockery of them. Hollywood is very good at perpetuating stereotypes.

Over the course of the afternoon there were many different ceremonial dances performed. The dancers were amazing to watch. They would leap and twirl a the drums sounded. Singers would sing along and we had no idea what they were saying but it was very festive and loud. Each performer was well practiced. Each child was bright eyed and happy. What a wonderful time they all seemed to be having.

At one point one of the announcers mentioned the fact that white men say that they honor the red man by naming sports teams after Native Americans. He said, "When did we ever see in this country during a World Series or a championship game ever ask us to be part of that celebration if they honor us so much? If they want to honor us, there's a prestigious liberal university,lets put some million dollar scholarships on the line for our people." This was followed by many, many loud cheers. I agree. Who are we to determine how to honor someone. How hard is it to ask the simple question, "What can I do to honor you?" After taking their land, we owe them so much more than that.  

We left the Pow Wow and went into the area of town called Old Town. It is a small area, just a few blocks square, that had many shops, restaurants, a church and a large plaza where the Native Americans spread their blankets under the portico of the building and sell their handmade items. The area, like much of the town, features adobe finish on the exterior of the buildings.  

 

The big difference in Old town is that most of the adobe is authentic, not modern stucco like the newer buildings. Unfortunately the area was almost deserted, I suppose because everyone was at the Pow Wow. We walked around for a little while and then headed back to the hotel.  

We had pizza around the corner for dinner and the wind had still not let up.  Randy called to check on our balloon ride and before bedtime they notified us that the ride had been cancelled.  We were disappointed but we could sleep in later (yay!)

Here is an unusual fact about New Mexico that I forgot to include in the previous post.  New Mexico requires everyone to have a photo I.D. on their person at all times.  I don't know if this is because of it being a border state or what, so if you ever go there, keep your I.d. close at hand.