Letting the silence speak: Behind the reporting on the Gathering of Nations Powwow

I started reporting on this story the Monday after the Gathering of Nations announced its sunsetting. At that point, it was a breaking story, so I reached out to as many people involved as I could, whether that was over email or Facebook, in as little time as I could. Fox 10 Phoenix, AP News, ICT and other news outlets had already reported on the announcement over the weekend. In fact, I heard it on the NPR podcast that morning. I was behind, and I needed to play catch-up, fast. If I could talk to Derek Mathews or his family, I could publish a breaking story.

I was banking on the fact that Buffalo’s Fire is Indigenous-led. Maybe the people I reached out to would be more willing to talk. And, while I was blindly messaging people on Facebook, Jodi Rave Spotted Bear, the editor-in-chief of Buffalo’s Fire, was reaching out to people she knew in the powwow world. Surely, someone would share new information with Buffalo’s Fire. Shortly after, Jennifer Young Bear returned a call. Ty Stever from Expo New Mexico’s media and marketing team sent me the organization’s official written statement the next day. I didn’t receive another call or email until Wednesday, Aug. 20, when I spoke with Greg Olson. The story stalled after that.

Jodi and I waited for powwow people to get back to us, but most wanted to talk off the record, even for neutral comments. I was frustrated and wanted to get the story off my plate. But a week after the GON announcement, the story was becoming old news. Jodi suggested we come at the story from a different angle: What happens now? What’s the next big powwow? On Tuesday, Aug. 27, Jodi contacted a member of the Black Hills Powwow board who agreed to comment, but never did. On Wednesday, we reached out to Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, and she did return a call in the early afternoon. I added her perspective to the story. Jodi and I went through another round of edits, and Buffalo’s Fire published the story.

Jodi and I reached out to a dozen people who are connected to the powwow world via text, email or Facebook message who either declined to comment or didn’t respond. We also contacted official sources, such as Derek Mathews, Gathering of Nations Limited, the Mescalero Apache Tribe and the Jicarilla Apache Nation.

Perhaps Jennifer Young Bear summed up the silence of those who preferred not to talk, or be quoted, when she said she never helped to plan the powwow, so she felt she had no right to comment in a decisive way. We respect the silence of the Native community members we reached out to. They are rooted in cultural norms and showed caution regarding speculation or creating rumors.