Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial

Above, a tee pee set up near the exhibit hall's entrance. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday morning, I attended the 2025 Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial at Red Rock Park.

First, I went to the rodeo arena to watch women's barrel racing and, later, the calf take-down event. It was sunny and hot, so I limited myself to about an hour and a half out in the sun. 

Above, yours truly at the rodeo arena. 

Afterwards, I went inside the events center to view the art show. I was surprised that it was limited to just one large room (ballroom-sized) with no exhibits in smaller rooms. There was also very few rug displays that were a highlight in past years. It was mainly paintings, pottery, kachina dolls and jewelry.

The artwork ranged from kids art to adults. One painting was with a Godzilla theme called "Cheiizilla". In Navajo language, here is what cheii means:

In the Navajo (Diné) language, "Cheii" (pronounced "ch-ee-ee") translates to "grandfather" or "maternal grandfather". It specifically refers to the mother's father, according to Navajo tradition. The term is also used to refer to the horned toad, which is considered a spiritual grandfather figure in Navajo culture. 

A photo of the painting is below. 

Outside, there were some vendors, mainly food and drinks. There were very few vendors selling Native American goods. That was a disappointment. 

Anyway, it was good to get out and wander the Ceremonial. It goes on to August 10.

Some photos:

 

100th Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial

Above, the livestock pens at the rodeo arena. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since today is the final day for this year's Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial, I headed over to Red Rock Park to see the exhibits and the kiddie sheep-riding event.

It was a bit hot out, so I just stayed a couple of hours. It was a good thing I did, for when I got home, we had a thunderstorm roll into Jamestown. It was a bit difficult to take pictures at the rodeo arena as many spectators has umbrellas that prevented unobstructed views.

This year's Ceremonial marks the centennial of it.

I wandered around the convention center to check out the entries for the art contest along with the room with Navajo rugs and jewelry. 

Outside, I came upon the booth for Fire Rock Navajo Casino. They had a spin-the-wheel game in which winning a prize was pretty much guaranteed. Before heading there, I bought a bleacher seat cushion at the official Ceremonial booth. It was only $5.00. But as things turned out, I won a Fire Rock Navajo Casino bleacher seat cushion. So I ended up with two of them. The nice thing about the Fire Rock cushion, it included a pocket for me to put my copy of the Centennial program inside.

Above, the bleacher seat cushions. The one on the right I won. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I had a good time there.

Some photos: