"Through the incredible dedication, passion and creativity of Dr. Mathews,
she has created a special window to a very important, colorful and unique
tradition which, sadly, for some people may be their only glimpse. So...
what a Gift!" - Lindsay Wagner, actress, author

The road is a romantic and intangible thing, the great mystery of what lies
out there has attracted poets, dreamers, hikers, nomads, travelers and
explorers of all types.

Lita Mathews grew up a New Mexico powwow dancer and a student, endlessly
curious about both her roots and the adventure of the rest of the world.
Now an adult, she has found a way to combine all these interests in a
lifestyle that few even know exist.

Every summer she and her family, husband Derek and daughter Melonie, hit
the Powwow Trail, driving over 30,000 miles in a converted Chevy Silverado
to perform and compete at the largest powwows across the country from coast
to coast.

Lita was in the first phase of writing her doctorate in anthropology and
ethnography when her professors found that her life was more interesting to
them that anything to be found in the school libraries. They encouraged her
to begin keeping a journal while out on the road, to write down all her
thoughts, feelings and experiences.

"I started doing this as a way to share this unique life I live with other
people," she says. "My life as a dancer out there is very intense, it's all
consuming. I found that others, particularly the elders who had lived this
way for many years, felt free to talk to me as well about their powwow life
since I was one of them, so I began recording other voices and quotes to
put in the book as well."

The book came out in 1999. While in Chicago, a woman from the Oprah Winfrey
Show invited the Mathews out for dinner, and convinced them that they
should record the journal part of the book as an audio book CD.

For the spoken word vocals Lita enlisted actress Jade Herrara, an award
winning actress of stage and screen, born and raised by her mother and
grandparents in New Mexico.

Jade's screen credits began in an independent film called, East of Hope
Street, for which she received the Best Actress Award from the New Orleans
Urban Film Festival. She went on to star as a hearing impaired youth in the
CBS movie Blue Rodeo with Ann Margret and Kris Kristofferson. For this role
Jade Herrera received an award from the First American in the Arts
Association. This American Indian honor was for outstanding performance as
a new actress. She has also starred in the hit TV series Walker Texas
Ranger. Jade was asked to present a humanitarian award from the Screen
Actors Guild to the veteran actor, James Cromwell for his work with
American Indian people.

The 3 CD audio book Chronicle also features the vocal talents of Sophie
Koshiway, Walter Bull, Litefoot, Terry Webster, Dennis Bowen, Dorena
Martineau, and Derek Mathews.

The CD is broken into chapters, with each section detailing a different
city, a new powwow, some bizarre weather, unusual people, and other
fantastic things the family encountered over one long summer.

They end the trail at their home base in Albuquerque, which happens to be
the site of their other business. The Mathews family is the founding board
members of the Gathering of Nations, Ltd. (a non profit organization) and
is responsible for it's educational component.

The Gathering of Nations has become the nation's largest powwow, and in an
ongoing commitment to educate and enlighten all people about Native
American culture they have an enormous website, a Gathering of Nations
Traveling Show that has been performing for the past ten years, and many
other projects in the works. Lita has appeared as a representative for
Native people on various TV shows on NBC, the Discovery Channel, MTV,
French TV, Italian TV, and Telemundo.

"Everything we do is connected," Lita says, "the dancing, traveling,
writing, and putting on the powwow. It all flows from one into another. We
are most excited about our new online radio station, a new book of short
stories for kids I am working on, and a coffee table photo book of the
powwows. We can travel and control our lives, while still doing our art and
helping people. It's a dream of a life and I feel very lucky to be able to
live it and share it."

A Powwow Summer Across North America: The Chronicle CD and book is
available through the GON website at: www.gatheringofnations.com