The Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial will celebrate its 100th year in Gallup, New Mexico, during its Aug. 4-14 event at Red Rock Park.
According to a news release:
One of New Mexico’s longest-running events, the Ceremonial Centennial Celebration will be a mixture of in-person and virtual events. Scheduled events include: One World Beat (the theme of the event) – Native American & Indigenous Tribal Processions & Performance Showcases, Rodeo Events, Ceremonial Queen and Princess Pageants, Juried Art Show & Contest, Virtual Artisans Market, 5k Run/Walk, Parades, Powwow, Navajo Song & Dance, Film Screenings and more. “The Ceremonial” is hosted annually at Red Rock Park near Gallup, NM. Various citywide events are also being planned.
Founded in 1922 and considered a New Mexico destination experience, the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial is one of the oldest continuous recognitions of Native American culture and heritage and known for attracting an international audience. As it reaches its 100th anniversary, the event continues to evolve while enshrining the earliest ideas of creating opportunities by spotlighting Native American authenticity. This centennial milestone is a cumulation of tributes to the generational event caretakers and the ancestral and present day Native American tribal participants.
TravelAwaits.com delved more into the history of the event:
In the early days, the parade was more of an arrival procession, Native Americans in wagons and horse-drawn carriages from the Navajo Nation and surrounding pueblos. The early rodeo was Native American games and foot races that evolved to the 5K and 10K races today. Organizers built a grandstand in 1923 to expand the viewing.
In the 1950s and ‘60s, the ceremonial opened to Native American groups beyond New Mexico, including plains tribes from Mexico. Today, the ceremonial invites tribes from Arizona, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Washington, and across New Mexico to the nightly dances. Generations of families participate in the ceremonial from dancers, rodeo performers, weavers, jewelry makers, bread bakers, and ceremonial queens.
More about the ceremonial can be found in this one-hour documentary:
Tickets can be purchased here.
(Image from the 2017 Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial from Enrique A. Sanabria via Flickr)