Mel attended his first Indian powwow over the weekend, as he watched the Saturday evening Grand Entry inside the special events center of Fantasy Springs Resort Casino, officials of the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians said.
Mel drove to the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians Reservation near Indio from his Malibu home on Saturday, arriving about 7 p.m. for a private meeting with members of the tribe. He watched the Grand Entry from a private viewing area with Cabazon Tribal Council Chairman John James.
"It was a real surprise,'' James said. "It was a real thrill for the Indian people to meet and greet him in person. We had to fight our way off the (viewing) stand - they were all taking pictures. The flash photography was incredible."
James said Mel commented on how he'd never seen a grand march before. He was fascinated to learn about the significance of the blessing by smoke - how it cleanses the spirit - and seemed like a real down-to-earth guy, James said. "It was difficult to hold a conversation with all the drumming going on. But he did tell me he'd just finished production of a movie about the Mayan civilization, and invited me to the opening. I thought that was real nice."
Gibson could not be reached to comment.
But one of his publicists, Jhane Myers, said in a written statement that Gibson was impressed with the "first-ever" powwow he attended.
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