Corbin's 1st Annual Pow Wow a Total Bust

Plenty of opinions are scorching around town about the debacle that was the first annual pow wow for the Mobile Heritage Museum. I have received over 100, yes 100, emails complaining about this pow wow. I can't believe I have to defend myself, but trust me I had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Complaints range from allegations of out in the open drinking, rude vendors, intimidation and just out right scummy acting people. I didn't go so I can't confirm the allegations but according to the local forums some people in Corbin want their $15,000 dollars back. The hosts Ken and Shelia Phillips promised 20,000 people would attend this event, they are lucky if 200 graced the gate. The Main Street Project was awarded the money from the Corbin Tourism Commission with the help from the local Democrats pushing the way for Ken and Shelia Phillips of Corbin to be the hosts.

According to the Circle of Wisdom Unity Conference or COWUC's website Ken Phillips serves as the Chairman of the Board. COWUC was ordered by the Laurel County Circuit Court to pay Jeff Sharp of Bluegrass Bingo Supplies $50,964.59 at 12%per annum from jan.30, 2007,until date of judgment, then 12% per annum thereafter until, paid in full. That could turn into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet with a judgment of this caliber against Ken Phillips' group the Main Street Project, led by Sharae Myers, still handed over $15,000 for a pow wow! But the sad thing is, she was warned by people in the know, hell I even tried to warn her only to be ignored. Fine thanks I get when she came crying to me last year telling me how the KKK was threatening her in the Corbin City Hall, that turned out to be BS as well, just like this pow wow.

I am a Corbin tax payer and I am a little mad that the City would not only blow our money on an amateur hour fake Indian pow wow but hand over that kind of cash to someone who could face criminal charges and already has a major civil judgment against the group that hosted the pow wow!! Now I will be submitting an open records request asking for the results of the contests that where advertised at this pow wow claiming to be paying out thousands of dollars. I have also heard allegations that the only contestants were friends of the hosts. I want to know who got all of my tax money!

I encourage everyone reading this to call Ms. Myers at (606) 258-8125 or email her sharae.myers@corbin-ky.gov and ask her why. Hell the people hosting this ridiculous pow wow are not even NATIVE AMERICAN!

  

Comments

You should have went shack. It was a hoot!

[Big Momma]

I think someone is in trouble. You have them over a barrell if you get those records. You know they will not give them to you.

I went and it sucked I am not indian but even the few real indians there looked bummed out.

I for one will be attending the next city council meeting and I want answers. I think youre on to something with all this contest money.

[Melanie Marie Shifflett Ridner]

This is a great shame that someone would have a pow -wow and insult everyone in thier misits. This brings shame on an Honorable Indian Gathering.
As for the comments about who was an Indian or not , I hope the one's that were or even mixed know this was wrong.

Melanie Marie Bingham Wagers Shifflett Ridner
Hamilton , Ohio

[Tim D]

I was there as one of the participants in both the dancing competition and as the owner of the tipi. I was there the whole time, from early Thursday afternoon until late Monday Morning.
I saw no dancers, singers, vendors, or powwow hosts drinking and heard nothing about such a thing.

I did hear about several local young men choosing to show up on the powwow site around 3 a.m. early Saturday morning, who had been drinking and looking for trouble. It's my understanding the local police were called and handled the matter with the highest professionalism.

If you went to this powwow looking for the John Wayne type Indians, forget it. Today's Indians can be fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes to having "the look" of dark skin, dark hair and dark eyes.

I don't know what you saw there, but I saw Lakota, Cherokees, Kiowa, Dine', and several more members of various Indian Nations. I danced against several of them. Many were there with their federal tribal cards, some with state cards and many are uncarded.

Could there have been more drums, dancers, vendors, and public, of course. But the Labor Day weekend draws many dancers, drums, powwow vendors, and i suspect, public, to other locations across the country.

I have been powwowing for the past 16 years throughout the eastern US, have danced and sung in Cherokee NC, have been invited to dance and to set up my tipi at Indian Reservations and other Indian locations in AZ, MN, ND, SD, OK, and also in Cherokee NC.

Was this powwow perfect? No. Then again most powwows are not perfect. There's so many dynamics going on at the same time. Plus there's the powwow protocol and Native American Culture that has to be followed and respected.

Then again, it's been a long time since I've seen such team work and cooperation that I saw between the powwow hosts and the City of Corbin.

To attend a 1st Powwow of this magnitude was pleasantly surprising and I hope the City of Corbin has the vision to host this powwow again. If it does, and if invited back, I'll be there and I suspect more dancers and singers will be there as well.

I would like to take the time to thank the neighbors of the powwow site for their hospitality, friendly reception, offers of water, and the gifts of home canned food.

Tim D.

[Embarrassed Angry Native]

I too attended this so called "Competition Pow Wow." I was very upset with the judging of this so called "competition." I could not believe that a woman from Guadamala could put on her costume and acutally win a cash prize for impersonating a Native American, especially when you had true bloods competing. That a girl as white as snow could put on several different regalias and win competition money in more than one category over actual true blood dancers; dancers that earn their lively hood in honest competitions. I was told a week before the pow wow, that most of the categories at this competition pow wow, were already pre-determined due to the relationships (via friend or family) with the Phillips and those associated with this pow wow. I am full blood Native American and my family and I have been to Pow Wows in the Western and Eastern parts of the United States; the disrespect that many of these so called Indians showed towards our customs and traditions were very insulting to me, my family and my heritage. The "want to be's" need to research the customs and our traditions and than respect them, so many times the "want-to-be's" put on shows like this and get very generous grants or funds from state or local governments and they do nothing to benefit the culture and heritage of the Native American People. This Pow Wow was nothing more than a for profit carnival show that only benefited the "Want-to-be's" close to the Phillips.

[Tim]

I was surprised they allowed dancers to compete in more than one dance category. And then to have the other dancers wait in the dance arena while those dancers changed their clothes. It's my understanding this is to change for next year.

I was disappointed in the judging of the Straight Dancers. To have a young man place 3rd who was not dancing straight or wearing straight dance clothes beat out 2 other straight dancers who were dressed out as straight dancers and were dancing as straight dancers. And while I was one of those straight dancers, the other gentleman should have placed third, which would have made me 4th but that's ok. Other straight dancers agreed with me as well.

And I was surprised with the judging of the Grass Dancers, Women's Cloth and Buckskin Dancers.

Hopefully over the next year people can learn and be trained in how to judge the dance competitions.

This is their first competition powwow and a learning experience for them. Hopefully things will be better next year.

Tim

[wayah]

thank creator that i didnot attend this travesity as it looks to be :: im shocked to read that a pow wow was shown to be a disgrace i am full blood native american and i never have had to read such an embarrassing report of a pow wow and i attend many here in kentucky went to afew last year and enjoyed it immensily guess you just have to attend ones that are run in proper manner sorry to all of you folks who were disappointed dont stay aaway from all the other pow wows in the area you might just ahhpen on one that wil totally blow you away with a feeling of sincere peace and love and spiritualism

[knows the truth]

you need to correct your statment on your site,
first of all cowuc did not host it, the moble museum did.
mr. phillips, is pres. of cowuc.
cowuc , was handed down a judgement in laurel county court for,50,964.59 to be correct. THE 12% IS CORRECT.
and yes, mr. phillips, and i use MR. losely, was in charge of pow wow.
also, its mr. jeff hurst, owner of bluegrass bingo supply, who they owe this money to. for several checks totaling this amount, for whith they closed thier account and pulled out of bingo, without covering thier checks.mr. hurst and his lawyer holds these checks.
the truth

[the truth]

the moble museum sponcers bingo at moonbow plaza in corbin.
if they wanted to do a pow wow, why did'nt they put up the prize money themselfs?
and since they do bingo, why did the phillips go to ms. mainstreet, for more money??????
why do you need it?????
questions that need to be answered.
the phillips have thier own little bingo group, called sknap.they also did bingo at moonblow, along with, cowuc, and moble museum, all 3 were in BINGO THE BUSNESS!!!!!

[wade crowe]

my family has put on powwows in the past and only spent $3,000.00 including contest. We've had Jonathan Windy Boy, RG Harris, Jerome Crazy Thunder and other dancers. Today's natives are not fair-skinned, we are as dark and greasy since eons past.

[wade crowe]

this is what real powwows are like, not fair-skinned culture vultures:

http://www.youtube.com/user/quicksilverwade

[displeased]

i saw in the corbin, where miss mainstreet says (quote)the pow wow cost a total of 28,000.00, when all was said and done.
check it out for yourselfs, they footed the whole bill, not just 15,000.00!!!!!!
now, i ask you, WHAT THE HELL COST THAT MUCH MONEY??/
ADD UP THE PRIZE MONEY,AND OTHER EXPENCES, YOU CORBIN TAXPAYERS SHOULD BE ASKING FOR THOSE RECORDS OF EXPENCES.

[Melanie Marie Shifflett Ridner]

In answer :
To The Corbin POW WOW :
I have read the comments here and still feel many should be ashamed of how this Ceremonial POW WOW went.
Bickering about money and the dances and the prizes?
The customs. I believe the Customs should be taught and shown to keep our Heritage going. And that is to everyone whom is interested as well.
Whether or not you are Indian or not?
Disgraceful and it will not bring people to Corbin with all this going on.
Shameful. All Indians are Indians ! Remember you were black if you had one drop!
Well Indians have many drops and that blood is one that is not going away or be hidden anywhere .Yes black hair at one time was the standard and so was white and blonde.
Remember many of the Tribes also robed and stole women and many of the tribes are mixed Indian as well. Mistakes do happen to everyone .
I for one am Shawnee / Cherokee. My Great Grandfather English Shawnee Indian and my Great Grandmother Cherokee. I am very proud of my Indian Heritage as many of you should also be. So all Indians are not always of the same full tribe as well.
As for dance regalia , many cannot afford the outfits and it is customary for simple changes or allowances for a man to dance in a shirt and jeans.
The old ones who were wise one’s must be having all kinds of fits to as the way all this bickering is going on.
They were wise enough to Welcome many people into their midst’s and tribes to keep the Indian Blood growing.
They were wise.
My guess there should have been a Council on both sides and Judges as well mixed from both sides as well.
Meaning a mixed Indian and white or whomever would be fair to all.
As for the money situation I would seek an investigation into those that need to be investigated and do it all Legally.
This POW WOW is to bring in the Indians as well the many people as possible to give insight and Commence to the Corbin area as well as the surrounding areas and Artists and Native Americans as well. It was not managed well and has everyone pointing fingers at everyone which should not have went on.
There are people in Europe who Honor and Love Native Americans , us as Indians that we are, the Indians and their ways. They have the biggest POW WOW ’s and Honor our people . Many of our Native American People go there and are Welcomed in all they have going on as well and are Welcomed and treated with the most Honor and Respect they deserve.
With all this said and many hurt as well I suggest that everyone get together on all sides and try to make apologies and send up prayers that this wasn’t as bad as it could have went and look forward to next year and prepare early ahead and all unite in this cause for the sake of all.
My father was born in Corbin and I hope to visit in the Spring.

Butterfly Woman
Melanie Marie Bingham Brown Wagers Shifflett Ridner