Mul-Chu-Tha Fair & Rodeo Celebrates ‘60 Years of Unity’

GRIN Staff
Gila River Indian News

The Gila River Indian Community held the annual Mul-Chu-Tha Fair & Rodeo (MCT) at the Sacaton Fairgrounds on March 15-17, celebrating 60 years of unity.

The weekend kicked off with a Junior Rodeo and Community Day on Friday, March 15, where the winners of the Tribal Education Department’s Art and Essay contest were awarded, and Urban Giff, District 6, and Eugenia Apkaw, District 4, were presented with the Elder of the Year awards. Donald Sabori, District 6, U.S. Marine Corps, was awarded Veteran of the Year.

The evening provided free carnival rides, a community dinner, and featured a commemorative 60th Annual MCT T-shirt for attendees. It was followed by the Gila River Royalty coronation dance for the new 2024-2025 Miss Gila River Susanne Osife, District 2, Jr., Miss Gila River Shayla Davis, District 4, and their court, with live music provided by Gertie & the T.O. Boyz.

As the three-day event evolved, the theme of unity permeated each event. People from around the Valley and out of state traveled to the Community for the festivities, including the All-Indian Rodeo, where the arena’s bleachers filled with spectators to watch competitors compete in team roping, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, and much more.

“Friday was the most exciting to watch. The children did woolly riding, mid-size bull riding, calf and steer riding… it was great to see the bleachers full,” said Wayne Allison, District 3, director of the Department of Housing Development and first-time coordinator of the MCT rodeo.

Allison described watching rodeo patrons and noticing people from all different backgrounds bonding and communicating with one another about their favorite riders in the competition. To him, the crowd emitted the symbol of unity by getting together and supporting their riders for entertainment.

On Saturday morning, March 16, hundreds lined up along Bluebird Road in Sacaton for the annual parade to enjoy over 60 entries.

Many floats embodied the unity theme, with Community and other Tribal leaders, royalty, veterans, schools, businesses, and even sports mascots.

“We’re so excited about having a great weekend,” said Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis during the parade, where he welcomed everyone to the weekend’s events, “I want to thank all our tribal dignitaries and royalty; we have O’otham and Pee Posh unity all throughout the parade.”

Saturday’s events included the Master’s Rodeo and Wild Horse Race, pow-wow, cultural performances, Battle of the Bands competition, live art, and local musical performances. The day was finished off with electric entertainment by rap artists Too $hort, Chingy, and Lil Jon, performing their hits to a packed crowd to close out the night.

The pow-wow, held March 16-17, kicked off with gourd dancing, leading into the competition of traditional men’s and women’s dances, jingle dress, and grass dances by age, gender, and category.

“You can make a lot of friends at Pow Wows; it’s just an atmosphere that makes you feel good. Especially hearing that drum, you just get good feelings hearing that drum,” said Marc Sekayouma, member of the Nez Perce tribe and lead coordinator of the pow-wow.

Sekayouma said that before pow-wows became competitive, they were always social. There were no rules, and people from different tribes would gather and socialize. His favorite part was just being there and observing the immersion of new people as they came together to witness the dancers and the drums.

On Sunday morning, March 17, O’otham cultural games Thoka and Songuvil were played outside the MCT fairgrounds.

This year, 14 Thoka teams competed for the tournament trophy. The game is played by O’otham women and girls between the ages of 5-65.

Angelia Allison, District 4, has played Thoka for 20 years and was a referee for the Akimel O’otham team. Allison stated that the theme of unity related to the game by “bringing all the tribes together.”

On that same day, the MCT car show took place at the Matthew B. Juan—Ira H. Hayes Veterans Memorial Park, in Sacaton, with over 20 classic, customized, and lowrider cars in attendance.

Luis Favela, from the Casa Grande group, said this is the second year he and his group have participated in the car show event; he looks forward to the food and the people in the Community who make him feel welcome.

The battle of the bands and dance competition, cultural performances, live art and musical performances, comedic entertainment, food and craft vendors, and carnival rides all continued at the Sacaton Fairgrounds, where reggae band Common Kings closed out the night for a successful 60th Annual Mul-Chu-Tha Fair & Rodeo.