Northern fair’s powwow rises on local drums, trusted voices
WINDOW ROCK
Charlene Dearly remembers sitting in an old wagon near the Northern Navajo Fairgrounds and listening to the powwow drums as a child. She and her cousin could smell the food from KFC and the sweet fried sugar in the air. They stayed out until the lights dimmed and the announcer wished everyone a safe trip home.
“We’d stay up late, and we’d be at my aunt’s house, and we’d be sitting there listening to the songs. We didn’t really know what they were talking about, but we knew we wanted to be a part of it,” she said. “Those who can’t dance can coordinate.”
Dearly, who is Tó Dík’ǫ́zhí and born for Naaneesht’ézhí Táchii’nii, now coordinates the powwow and gourd dance for the 112th Annual Northern Navajo Fair. She treats the powwow like a neighbor’s gathering. She selects head staff who work well together, leans on local drum groups, and sets a pace that keeps dancers relaxed and spectators engaged. She has coordinated other events and brings that approach here.
“It’s just a steady pace,” said Dearly (Goodluck), the 2008-09 Miss Northern Navajo and the second runner-up in the 2012 Miss Navajo Nation Pageant. “And I try to put on a good show every single time just so everyone who comes feels welcome.”
The powwow returns to the Northern Navajo Fair Powwow Grounds with a two-day program that mixes contest dances, gourd dance sessions, tiny tots exhibitions and two old-style specials.
To read the full article, please see the Oct. 2, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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