'So spectacular': Horse parade picks up steam at Gathering of Nations

Apr. 25—ALBUQUERQUE — If there is such a thing as a Gathering of Nations kid, Dustina Abrahamson might have been it.

Now 48, Abrahamson — who is Lemhi Shoshone-Bannock and who from sixth grade on grew up mainly in New Mexico — first attended the Albuquerque powwow four decades ago, at the age of 8.

"To me, it was another powwow, but in a bigger setting," said Abrahamson, adding that, while today powwows happen year-round in different parts of the country, back in the '80s Gathering of Nations marked the beginning of powwow season that ended in early fall.

But today, Abrahamson views the annual gathering as far more than a run-of-the-mill cultural event or weekend festival.

In the the 1980s, Abrahamson said, it was her sense many Native people were "adapting and assimilating" culturally. But at Gathering of Nations, Abrahamson said she remembers a steady increase over the years in cultural displays, from the powwow and the pageant to music and other arts that served "to inspire us young people."

"I think it ignited this pride in being Indigenous," said Abrahamson, whose family is longtime friends of Gathering of Nations founder Derek Matthews and who along with her sister serves as co-coordinator for the Horse & Rider Regalia Parade. "... They gave us a platform, a venue to showcase."

It was also a lot more rough-and-tumble in those early days, Abrahamson recalled.

"Back then we camped," she said. " 'Bougie Indians' are the ones that liked to get the [hotel] rooms. ... It has totally expanded."

Today's Gathering of Nations looks a little different than those early years, which started with the first "unofficial" event at the University of New Mexico in 1983. This year's event, which bills itself as "North America's Biggest Pow-Wow," kicked off Thursday but really gets going Friday, when thousands are expected to flock to Expo New Mexico for a weekend of festivities. That includes the Horse & Rider Regalia Parade and competition, singing and dancing performances and the Miss Indian World Contest, along with food, drink, discussion panels and a massive marketplace of vendors.

Attendees come from not just around North America but around the world.

"They try to make an effort to invite them," Abrahamson said, adding that a Maori delegation from New Zealand is attending this year.

The Horse & Rider Regalia Parade, held at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, is a relatively new addition to Gathering of Nations but has picked up steam quickly. Abrahamson said the event started in 2018 with a vision of celebrating Native horse culture. Contestants show off their best looks — as the name implies, both horse and rider are decked out in regalia — as well as their finest horse-handling skills and best crowd interaction.

Decorations might be beadwork, silver or leather, Abrahamson said, and riders are judged both on their individual regalia and on the overall effect of horse and rider together.

Abrahamson recalled one recent year where a young boy dressed as a Diné warrior.

"He looked awesome," Abrahamson recalled. "That's what we want. We want you to represent your people."

At Expo New Mexico on Thursday, Taylor Archuleta, who turns 8 on Friday, looked on with her family as her older brother worked out Thunder, the horse she will be riding in the parade.

On Friday and Saturday, Taylor said she'll be wearing her fitting parade outfit: red and with horses on it.

The Ohkay Owingeh girl said she's excited — but what does she really like best about Gathering of Nations?

"The dancing," Taylor said, leaning toward her mother, 35-year-old Victoria Archuleta.

Taylor might be as much a Gathering of Nations kid as Abrahamson; Archuleta said she barely waited a day after Taylor's birth to check herself out of the hospital and head to the powwow.

"I popped her out and I was like, 'Can we go? We got somewhere to be,' " said Archuleta, laughing. "She came to Gathering 1 day old."

The parade isn't just for show — riders compete in men's, women's and Best in Show categories for cash prizes and a finely embroidered horse blanket. Sponsors foot the bill for those costs, Abrahamson said.

"It is so spectacular," Abrahamson said. "They are so beautiful. ... It's just amazing."