Tribal connections

Annual event celebrates food, art, dancing, music

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The 17^th Invitational Native American Arts Festival will return to the Clark County Museum this weekend with a celebration of American Indian food, music, art, dance and heritage.

"The festival has grown overall in both quality of art and the opportunity to represent more tribes and art forms," said Kitty Heckendorf, assistant curator of education at the Clark County Museum. "We also have a great variety of food this year and a wider variety of dancing."

Heckendorf said the festival is set to feature about 60 artists representing about 20 tribes. Vendors will sell artwork including pottery, jewelry, sculpture, weavings, easel art, sand paintings, wood and stone carvings, kachina dolls, drums, dream catchers, bead work, basketry and more.

The festival also will include food vendors selling American Indian tacos and fry bread.

"Each vendor will also have a special traditional food like pine nuts, buffalo meat, choke cherry items like jam and pudding, corn cakes and green chili stew," Heckendorf said.

Robert Tree Cody, a Maricopa Dakota whose traditional name is Red Thunder Bear, will serve as master of ceremonies during the festival.

"I really enjoy going (to the event)," he said. "The people are very cordial. I like performing out there and serving as the emcee for the festival. It's an opportunity to educate people about what I do."

Cody has been the emcee for the festival for eight years and will introduce all of the festival's performers. He also will perform traditional flute songs and will have copies of his CD available for sale.

Cody said one the most interesting aspects of entertaining at the festival is meeting new people. During the event two years ago, he met a flute player from a Cirque du Soleil production.

"She wanted to know more about the flutes I play, so I talked to her about them, which was a great experience," he said.

Cody's family travels to American Indian festivals across the country and in Canada, performing as musicians and dancers. He and his wife, Cindy, are currently working as casting directors for a movie about American Indian pow wows called "On the Pow Wow Trail."

Traditional and fancy dancers from several tribes will perform each day from about 10:15 a.m. until 4 p.m.

They include: the Jones Benally family presenting traditional Navajo dance, the Tom Family Dancers doing traditional Paiute dances; Forrest Chimerica with the Hopi Senom Dancers; the Bob Family Dancers performing men's fancy dance; and Anthony Showa with the Sings Clear Pow Wow Drum performance.

"Many local families will lead dances of many styles," Heckendorf said. "Over the course of the day no group will repeat, so you can come at 10 a.m. and watch until 4 p.m. with just a break for lunch and not see the same group again."

Cody is not the only person who is impressed with the work of the festival's artists.

"People are amazed with the performances," he said. "But they bring in some really good musicians and performers. They're all excellent."

Shawn Collins, a Western Shoshone, will set up a teepee on the lawn of the Clark County Museum during the festival, and Heckendorf said there will be a big tent for vendors and picnic tables.

The festival will have a make-and-take booth with crafts for children. Schoolchildren from around the valley will visit the festival on Friday.

Heckendorf said she expects the festival will host between 8,000 and 10,000 people this year.

"It's just a great time for families to come out and interact with the Native American artists," she said. "The artists are very friendly, and are generally thrilled to share with people about their lives and their heritage."

The 17^th Invitational Native American Arts Festival is set for the Clark County Museum, 1830 S. Boulder Highway, today through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day.

The event is open to the public, and admission is $3 for adults or $2 for seniors and children. For more information, call 455-7955.