Autry National Center

It could have been a scene right out of a Gene Autry horse opera -- a cowboys-versus-Indians-style faceoff, potshots being fired by both sides, a hero riding to the rescue in the final reel. That seems to be the plot line of the drama that is playing out between backers of the Autry National Center of the American West in Griffith Park and those of the Southwest Museum a few miles away in Mount Washington.

This year's Pow Wow celebration at the Autry National Center -- an annual event celebrating Native American arts and culture -- has been canceled as a result of diminished financial resources, according to its organizer, the Southern California Indian Center. For 40 years, the Pow Wow has brought Native American heritage to the public with musical performances, dancing, arts exhibitions and family activities. It is the largest Native American cultural event of its kind in Southern California.