Ohkay Owinge Pueblo

1. Ohkay Owinge Pueblo -
Serpent Trail Dancers
Irais Castellon

2. Event description
❖ This event took place at the heart of Gallup, New Mexico.
❖ The Ohkay Owinge Pueblo dancers are traditional dancers in Gallup each
year.
❖ Hundreds of people from all over the United States come to watch.
❖ As well as the dancing there are food trucks and many booths selling custom
made jewelry and souvenirs.

3. About the Dancers:
❖ These dancers originate from Pueblo
❖ They consist mainly of youth, but they are
directed by adults, usually relatives
❖ They perform all over Southwest of the United
States
❖ They perform traditional dances of their culture

4. Dancer
Description
❖ I saw this group dance at the center of Gallup, New Mexico
❖ This group consisted of 7 members. Two of which were on instruments and
vocals
❖ The dancers are very close-knit with each other. They are usually family
members who want to keep their traditions alive.
❖ The dances and rituals are passed down from generation to generation

5. About the Dance
❖ While this Native group performs they are
sharing their traditions and customs with the
public
❖ Each dance has a special meaning and ritual
❖ The dances that I was able to see included
the Harvest dance, Deer dance, Rain dance,
and Eagle dance
❖ The dances that the group performed were
rituals offered to the gods as offerings

6. About the dance cont.
❖ As the dancers are dancing there are two men on the instruments. Their
instruments are simple but help bring everything together. The instruments
include maracas and a drum. While they are playing they are also chanting
songs which the dancers dance to.
❖ The songs and dances ask the gods for specific gifts. The rain dance for
example is typically sung when there is a drought. They ask the gods for rain
for their crops.
❖ The harvest dance also has a special meaning. If the tribe isn’t having a good
crop year they will ask the gods for better conditions and a better season.

7. Organization of the Dances
❖ From one generation to another these
dances have been preserved and
passed on.
❖ The performance that I was able to see
consisted of four songs and dances.
❖ The dancing was always in rhythm
which is established by the drummer.
❖ The beat is consistent and smooth with
the occasional increase of tempo.

8. Organization of the dances
cont. ❖ Something that fascinated me as I
watched each performance was that
although each person has their own part
in the piece of art everyone was in synch
and never lost a beat.
❖ Another major detail that pulled everything
together was the attire.
❖ As someone who isn’t familiar with the
rituals and customs it was refreshing to
see what the custom clothing of that tribe
is.

9. Connecting with the dance
❖ Many times our school system fails in educating us over the correct value of
the native attire. Each piece of jewelry, clothing, and headpiece was
significant and meaningful.
❖ After the dance the I was able to converse with the group and ask them
questions.
❖ They educated me on what each item meant and why it was so important to
them.
❖ It was also very interesting to see their typical clothing. As they danced I paid
close attention to the material of their shirts, skirts, shoes, and even
accessories.

10. Reflection Part 1
❖ As I observed the dancers and the men on
the instruments I learned so much about
the Ohkay Owinge Pueblo dancers.
❖ It was so interesting to see how different of
a culture they had.
❖ Even though I am not part of that culture it
made me proud to know that it was still
alive despite the genocide in the past
years.
❖ It is so important that this tradition
continues to be passed down from
generation to generation.

11. Reflection Part 2
❖ Gallup, New Mexico has a large population with a variety of Natives. It fills me
with joy knowing that many can come out and see other members of their
own tribe perform traditions that they may have missed out on.
❖ This was my second year attending Gallup’s annual Nightly Indian Dances.
❖ I hope to continue attending in the years to come not only to see this group
again but to see other groups and learn about them too.
❖ The groups that Gallup hosts are non-profit but do benefit from the heartfelt
donations of the onlookers.