Vitrac-Kessler: Thanks for making powwow possible
Aspen Indigenous Foundation wants to thank the sponsors that made the third annual powwow in Aspen possible:
The city of Aspen, Tharyn Mulberry and the Aspen High School, Diane Godfrey and the Aspen Indigenous Foundation Students Club, Annabelle Lodge, Mountain Chalet, Tyrolean Lodge, St. Moritz, Hotel W, St. Regis, New York Pizza, The Aspen Times, Aspen Daily News, Sopris Sun, and all the volunteers and powwow committee.
This beautiful event brought together many indigenous people from different tribes and states. It was amazing to meet families that came to our mountain town from Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Omaha, as well as from native communities in Colorado.
Everyone was happy to have the opportunity to discover Aspen and feel the strong connection with their ancestors, the healing power of the majestic mountains, and beauty of this land. Beauty that was reflected in their intricate regalia, sacred dances, and traditional songs that was shared throughout the weekend with the general public.
It also created an opportunity for an Aspen High School 10th-grader group to do a financial-management presentation to Native kids (middle and high schoolers), who each got a brand new laptop for attending this crash course. Twenty Native kids were the recipients of this generous program that was totally created by this group of Aspen kids.
By doing cultural programs such as the powwow, Aspen Indigenous Foundation is working to break down racial barriers, bringing people from less fortunate social and economic geographic locations to generate some income for themselves, and through education to open each person’s heart and mind to realize that we are all connected and share the same Mother Earth and Father Sky.
Deanne Vitrac-Kessler
Aspen Indigenous Foundation, Founder/Executive Director
