About three dozen people gathered under cloudy skies at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque Monday morning to see the first traditional dance performances for Indigenous Peoples Day.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2019 declared the second Monday in October Indigenous Peoples Day, and an official state holiday. In a statement on social media Monday, alongside photos from celebrations at the Santa Fe Indian School, the governor noted that New Mexico “is home to 23 sovereign tribes, nations, and pueblos, each with rich cultures, languages, and traditions that have shaped this land for thousands of years. Today is a day to celebrate Indigenous resilience, recognize the ongoing contributions of Native peoples, and recommit to honoring tribal sovereignty and supporting Indigenous communities. Let’s listen, learn, and celebrate together.”
At the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, The Pueblo Dance Group, which includes members from the Pueblos of Laguna, Acoma, Zuni and Hopi Tribe, opened the celebration Monday morning. One of the group’s founders’ Chris Charlie (Laguna Pueblo) noted the group performed at the International Balloon Fiesta earlier in the week and would be heading for New York City for another performance this month.
‘We’re here to entertain you guys and bless you,” Charlie said to the crowd of about three dozen assembled to watch the dances.
In Santa Fe, the celebration began over the weekend, with dancers from numerous tribes leading into a Monday Honoring Native Nations Powwow on the Plaza.
Kathryn Keyope (Acoma Pueblo) told Source NM that the holiday provided an opportunity to bring “a little bit more awareness… just to spread knowledge [and] bring awareness to everybody around us that comes to visit. We are getting a lot more non-Natives who come and watch us perform, so we definitely appreciate that they enjoy seeing us keeping our roots.”
Her husband Johnathan Keyope noted that they are able to share that history not just with visitors to New Mexico, but in other communities as well. “Some of the areas when we perform back east, local tribes are just far and few in between. So it’s great that we can share ourselves…to educate and to give everyone awareness and knowledge that we’re still here, and we do this; to let people know of our beautiful history and our beautiful culture.”