$50K loan keeps Ceremonial on life support

By Bill Donovan
Staff Writer

GALLUP — The Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial Association was able to pay off vendors who have been waiting months to get paid because of a $50,000 loan received from local organizations.

Louis Bonaguidi, chairman of the association board, said that after last summer's Ceremonial, the association still has a number of vendors who couldn't be paid.

"Some of it was from stuff we purchased during the Ceremonial and some were prize-winners," he said.

The association sent out letters to the vendors saying payments would be late and since then the association has been working to get the state to pick up the Ceremonial as a state event.

"Banks wouldn't lend us any more money since we had debts still outstanding from the previous year," Bonaguidi said.

The problem this caused was that any money that was coming in was going to pay the debts of the past Ceremonial, leaving none to help plan and pay for the one that will be held in August.

Two groups in town, Community Development and the West Group, decided to come to the association's aid.

Community Development is an organization that was set up by the Catholic Church to help individuals get started up in business. Their loan maximum is about $40,000.

The other group was started up by three woman and is meant primarily to give loans to woman. Their limit is $10,000.

Bonaguidi said that the loan will be paid back through proceeds from August's Ceremonial.

"This gives us a chance to catch our breath and start planning for the next Ceremonial," he said.

As for the progress toward becoming a state agency, Bonaguidi said the proposal is still being considered by the state legislature.

"We're alive but I'm not sure how alive we are," he said.

The measure has passed the House and is now in the state Senate, although Bonaguidi said he wasn't sure if the House measure only makes it a state agency or whether it also provides an appropriation, The association was hoping for $400,000.

The proposal has been tabled by the Senate Finance Committee and Bonaguidi said he wasn't sure if that committee will reconsider it or if it will go directly to the Senate floor.