AMP Concerts presents BOSQUE REDONDO MEMORIAL GOURD DANCE

AMP Concerts is thrilled to kick off the DCA-sponsored NMC2 program of events at State Historic Sites by collaborating with JJ Ahboah and Elle Curly-Jackson to coordinate the Second Annual Gourd Dance at the Bosque Redondo Memorial in Fort Sumner on Saturday, May 13.

Join us beginning at 10 AM for a day featuring respected speakers, traditional foods, and craft vendors from both the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Navajo Nation. After the Gourd Dances, at 8:30 PM, Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers will be performing their fire dance to close the ceremonies.
Gourd Dancing actually originated with the Kiowa Tribe.

According to Kiowa Gourd Dance coordinator JJ Ahboah, "in the time when humans could still communicate with animals, a Kiowa man was separated from his tribe. Lost, hungry, and dehydrated, he began to hear singing. Following the singing, he came upon a Red Wolf standing upright. This Red Wolf shared songs and dances with the Kiowa man from sunrise to sunset. When the Kiowa man returned to his tribe, he shared all of the songs and dances with them. This dance began as a warriors dance as well as to promote well-being within the tribe. Now it has evolved into a social dance, because so many other tribes have adopted it."

The Navajo and the Mescalero Apache adopted Gourd Dancing in the mid-20th century. Today, Gourd Dances can be held for many purposes such as: return of veterans, birthdays, or in the case of Fort Sumner Historic Site, to promote healing and strengthening of intertribal relations. Many Navajo and Mescalero Apache Elders are journeying from the Four Corners region and the area surrounding the Sacramento Mountains to be a part of this historic dance, despite what their oral traditions have dictated.

For many, the oral traditions passed down from the generations held in captivity at Bosque Redondo Reservation have stated not to go back to Fort Sumner or speak of the atrocities that occurred. However, the current generations understand that the contemporary tragedy occurring is the loss of cultural history with their youth. Through this dance, they are reclaiming that history. We invite you and your families to join us on this momentous occasion. A dance of this magnitude has not been observed in Fort Sumner since the signing of the Treaty of 1868.

Co-M.C.s: Mike Burgess, Comanche, Lawton, OK; Beulah Sunrise, Navajo/Santa Domingo, Albuquerque, NM
Head Gourd Dancer: Simon Simms, Mescalero Apache, Mescalero, NM
Head Lady Gourd Dancer: Lucy Curley, Navajo, Vanderwagon, NM
Head Singers: Hale & Company, Navajo Nation, Pico Rivera, CA
Arena Director: Tyrone Benally, Navajo/Zuni, Breadsprings, NM
Host Gourd Society: Dine? Land Gourd Society, Gallup, NM
Raffle Coordinator: Merrick Tate, Navajo Albuquerque, NM
Gourd Dance Coordinators: Elle Curley-Jackson, Navajo & JJ Ahboah, Kiowa/Cheyene, Albuquerque, NM
Special Guests: Joe Tohonnie Jr. and the White Mountain Apache Crown Dancers, Whiteriver, AZ

For reservations and info, visit http://www.ampconcerts.org
For more information on the Bosque Redondo Memorial, visit https://www.bosqueredondomemorial.com/

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