By Mary Goldmeer
Mail

The City of Litchfield Park hosted the Litchfield Park Gathering on Jan. 11 and 12, celebrating Native American art and cultural traditions. The festival took place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Historic Litchfield Park, 214 W. Wigwam Blvd.

The gathering featured Native American artists and artisans from the Southwest, displaying and selling a variety of traditional and contemporary works, including jewelry, beadwork, pottery, kachinas, pueblo carvings, sculptures, and more. The festival also showcased other forms of artistic expression such as basketry, photography, textiles, and painting, providing an opportunity for attendees to explore a wide range of Native American artistry.

According to Maricopa County Parks and Recreation, Litchfield Park and Goodyear are located in a region with a rich indigenous history. The area was once home to the Hohokam people, who inhabited the region from about 500 A.D. to 1450 A.D. Known for their advanced irrigation systems, the Hohokam developed techniques that supported agriculture in the desert. By the 1600s, the Maricopa and Pima tribes had settled in the area, living primarily along the Gila River.

Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized Native American tribes, each with its own distinct languages, cultures, and traditions. These tribes occupy land that makes up about one-quarter of the state. From the Navajo Nation in the northern part of the state, the largest Native American reservation in the country, to the Tohono O'odham Nation in southern Arizona, the tribes preserve and share their unique cultural practices and histories.

The Litchfield Park Gathering is part of the city’s ongoing commitment to offering free public events throughout the year, including cultural festivals, live concerts, fine art exhibitions, and community movie nights. The festival provided an opportunity to experience and appreciate the diverse artistic traditions and cultural heritage of Native American communities across the Southwest.

The gathering attracted artists and performers from across North America, including the Kehewin Native Dance Theater group. Hosted by Melvin John, technical director, and Rosa John, artistic director, Kehewin is known for its combination of Native theater, dance, and storytelling. Their performances focus on creation stories, trickster tales, and healing traditions passed down through generations. The group also conducts community workshops, interactive performances, and classroom visits, spreading Native American cultural traditions worldwide.

Kehewin Native Dance Theater has toured internationally, performing in Switzerland, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, France, Mexico, Ecuador, the U.S., Canada, and Australia. At the Litchfield Park Gathering, the group performed dances and shared the historical and cultural significance behind the movements.

During the event, Rosa John explained the meaning of various Native dances, detailing the cultural roles and spiritual connections embedded in these traditions. 

“All the dances have a story; there is a story to everything,” Rosa John  said. 

Following her introduction, siblings Manaya Duncan, a 15-year-old Fancy dancer, and Vic Duncan, an 8-year-old Grass dancer, performed. The Duncans come from a well-known dancing family: their mother, Violet Duncan, is a Lady’s Fancy and Jingle Dress dancer who has toured with Kehewin Native Dance Theatre since 1991, while their father, Tony Duncan, is a five-time world champion Hoop dancer.

 “You can see their love for it. They are such fun dancers to watch,” Rosa John  said. 

The Duncans operate their own dance company based in Mesa, where they continue to pass on Native dance traditions.

Their performances emphasized the importance of community and family in Native cultures, highlighting the role of oral traditions in preserving the history and spiritual practices of indigenous people across the Southwest and internationally.