GRAND CANYON, Ariz. – Authentic Native American dances traditionally performed at pow wows will appear at the Grand Canyon National Park this year. The Pollen Trail Dancers, an acclaimed Navajo troupe, will offer free performances from now through September.
Performances will run next to the South Rim’s Hopi House, a 1904 gift shop built to resemble Southwestern Hopi dwellings. American Indian workmen built the National Historic Landmark to showcase tribal arts and crafts.
Groups attending the dances will learn about Native American culture with performances such as the Bow and Arrow Dance, which tells the story of Navajo hunting days. The troupe will also dance the Basket Dance, which illustrates the importance of basket weaving in Navajo life.
Xanterra South Rim will sponsor the dances. The concessioner operates six lodges on the South Rim, the Phantom Ranch on the canyon floor, mule tours, motor coach tours and gift shops like the Hopi House.
“Part of Xanterra’s mission is to help educate travelers about the Grand Canyon’s human history, and these performances help illustrate the spiritual connections the Canyon’s first inhabitants must have felt to the region,” said Bruce Brossman, director of sales and marketing for Xanterra South Rim. “As one of the Grand Canyon’s original buildings, it is entirely fitting that the performances are held with Hopi House as the backdrop.”
The 45-minute shows will be posted in all South Rim lodges, as well as online at www.grandcanyonlodges.com. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/grca.
