Dennis Zotigh to Moderate “The Gathering” along with AIM Co-Founder Dennis Banks

Clarke County, Virginia – The Gathering council of elders announced today that American Indian Dennis Zotigh will join Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement (AIM), as Co-Masters of Ceremonies for The Gathering this fall.
    Prior to joining the staff of National Museum of the American Indian, Zotigh played an important role in developing the American Indian Gallery of the new Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in the capacity of American Indian Researcher and Historian.
     Dennis W. Zotigh is a Kiowa, San Juan Pueblo and Santee Dakota Indian and is a member of the Kiowa Gourd Clan, and a descendent of Sitting Bear and No Retreat, both principal war chiefs of the Kiowa.

     Zotigh began singing and dancing at Native celebrations at a very young age. He grew up learning traditional values and has extended his capabilities as a cultural promoter by learning songs, dances and their significance from Indigenous nations across North America. With his wealth of knowledge, he has lectured at universities, museums, educational conferences and symposiums both domestically and internationally on topics concerning American Indian culture.
    Zotigh has been Master of Ceremonies for three consecutive years at the "Miss Indian World Competition," at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico in addition to serving various roles in numerous other Native American pageants, art events and powwows.
     In 1991, he was commissioned to write a text encompassing American Indian dance titled, Moving History: The Evolution of the Powwow. It is permanently housed and distributed by Oklahoma

Zotigh truly seeks to preserve the past, to broaden how Native Americans are viewed in the present and to create new opportunities for Indian youth in the future.  

City's Red Earth Center. This important piece of history has led to projects with: National Geographic Magazine, ABC and NBC Television, National Public Radio, The National Museum of the American Indian, The British Museum and numerous publications.
     The Gathering is an educational celebration of “agri-culture” scheduled for Friday, Oct. 30 thru Sunday, Nov. 1 at the Clarke County Fairgrounds in Berryville, Va.

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