Wine tasting echoes a tradition of many years

Aug. 10, 2007

The 86th Annual Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial officially got underway yesterday with a queen luncheon and the Miss Photogenic competition. There was also a wine tasting contest.

You know, the Ceremonial has gone through some major changes throughout its history, but this particular event is one sure indicator that the times have certainly changed.

The Gallup Ceremonial actually hosted a formal evening wine tasting on opening day, Aug. 8.

Now, normal minds might question how a fancy evening of tasting fine wines fits in with the Ceremonial tradition of Indian dances, powwow, song and dance, exhibits, queen contests and pro bull riding.

You might think this was an event catering only to Gallup's social elite and the local rich and famous. And, it probably was.

But if you really think about it and allow your mind to travel down memory lane way back to its early years, the Ceremonial has always had wine tasting.

The old-time wine tasting wasn't as formal as the event staged Wednesday evening at the Red Rock Convention Center, but there were similarities among the folks who took part and the spirits that they consumed.

My recollections of the Gallup Ceremonial go back to the early 1960s where as a young boy I remember going every year. This was one of the largest events that took place in the area and all your relatives and friends would show up.

The major festivities back then included the rodeo, Saturday morning's parade, the carnival, night performances, the Aztec dancers and, finally, the lively camp grounds.

That was where the unofficial wine tasting would take place.

At the old Gallup Ceremonial grounds, where Harold Runnels pool and the bus station are now located, people would camp all along the north side of the rodeo arena and the old Armory building, way up in the hills and rocks.

Hundreds of Navajos, Zunis, Hopis and Apaches and many other tribes and pueblos would camp there throughout the Ceremonial.

As a kid, the camping area was one of the most fun places to hang out as well as being the scariest at times, especially at night.

There would be tents, teepees, campers and horse trailers all over the place. The air was permeated with the smell of burning cedar and the aroma from many different kinds of food being cooked over open campfires.

The unofficial wine tasting usually got started after the first visitors settled in at their campsites. It didn't stop until the last stragglers departed the grounds a few days later.

Just as the Gallup officials and guests did at Wednesday's formal event, the campground wine tasting participants would dress for the occasion.

The men came out wearing nicely pressed western shirts, Wranglers, shiny buckles, new boots and handsome hats.

The women would wear their best velveteen dresses or colorful blouses and skirts plus their best silver and turquoise jewelry.

These folks did not discriminate against anyone though, and so even if you weren't dressed up, you were welcome to participate so long as you contributed your share of the wine tasting ingredients.

That's where the similarities end.

Now, the Ceremonial's wine tasting event consisted of invited officials and their guests sampling various fine wines produced from vineyards in New Mexico and California, among other places.

They poured from fancy bottles with labels that announced the year the wine was produced - very important to today's wine connoisseurs - and they drank from crystal glasses.

These participants would sample the wines to decide which they enjoyed the most and then toast the wine makers. They would also purchase a few bottles for future use if they were available.

The wine tasting event in the Ceremonial campground differed in that the wine that was consumed there - in huge quantities - came from the shelves of local Gallup merchants and was mass-produced by a company called Garden Deluxe.

The campground participants didn't use cups or glasses. They usually sampled their wine straight from the bottle.

And although there may have been a few tribal officials in attendance, it was mainly just a bunch of family and friends that got together to have a good 'ol time.

Eventually, after dark, the wine tasting at the Ceremonial campground would lead to an even more informal contest of singing and chanting, long into the night and early morning hours.

It didn't matter what tribe you were from, you sang or chanted along with whatever song that came up regardless of the language. So long as you kept up with the beat and rhythm, you were OK.

I remember these things because I witnessed all of these sights and sounds, and the people, while hanging out at the Ceremonial campground with my family and relatives.

After eating with our relatives in the evening, there were times when my parents allowed me to stay and camp out with my cousins there. We had a blast roaming the campground.

You had to keep track of where you were, though, because you never knew when you would encounter someone who had sampled too much wine. They usually would be too friendly or too mean and you'd run back to your campsite, back to safety.

Most of the time though, it was fun watching and talking with the campers and seeing old friends and making new ones. My cousins and I did far more laughing than running.

Some of the stories that the elders would tell around the campfires were hilarious, scary or sad. They would talk of their youth, adventures and experiences on and off the reservation.

Today, as an adult and as a parent, I can understand and relate even more to what they went through.

But that was what the old Gallup Ceremonial was all about. It was that one time of the year when people would gather and just have a good time with the events, the food, the entertainment, and each other.

People of all nationalities and races from all over the world used to come together and share in the unique, festive atmosphere and tradition of the old Gallup Ceremonial.

When did it all change? Once the Ceremonial moved from its original location to Red Rock State Park, it seemed to lose its luster, appeal and authenticity.

It just isn't the same.

Except, of course, for the wine tasting event.

While the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial hosted its first official wine tasting this year, the event continues a tradition that began many, many years ago.

This weekend, if you go and hike up the rocks to where the old Ceremonial campground used to be, listen for the laughter, the singing and the chanting blowing in the wind.

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