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San Juan Pueblo Deer Dance, January 13, 1963.

 Item — CD: 2

Scope and Content

From the Collection: This collection of 158 songs was collected by Antonio Garcia, Lieutenant Governor of San Juan Pueblo (Ohkay Owingeh), N.M. in 1964 and 1966. Garcia was interested in studying and preserving the ceremonies of his people. The bulk of the songs are performed by the leading singers of the pueblo, some by Garcia. The value of the collection lies in the degree of completeness of the ceremonies recorded. Most of the songs are field recordings; a few are commercially produced. Garcia has established the identity of the songs and provides comments to accompany his recordings.

Included in the field recordings at San Juan Pueblo are traditional basket, harvest, corn and deer dances, as well as a wedding ceremony, a woman’s harvest dance, prayers of thanks, Poom-Koa songs, Matachines dances, Quitera Comanche songs, cacique songs, and San Juan Pueblo, Navajo social dances. There are also songs in Tewa and Tanoan. There are also chants adopted from the Plains Kiowas. Some of the dance patterns and song meanings are discussed and explained in the recordings. Although most of the songs are sung in the native language, some social songs are in English.

There are religious songs from the Huichol, native people who live in the mountains of West Central Mexico.

Garcia has also duplicated several commercially recorded Iroquois songs. These songs are taken from the album, Songs from the Iroquois Longhouse. There is also one song from the Ojibwa Indians.

Dates

  • January 13, 1963.

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Extent

From the Collection: 7 CDs (ca. 9.5 hrs.)

General

Artist: Juanito Trujillo, David Garcia, Pete Garcia, songs of four circuits and Ungay. An ungay is a fifth circuit, also a prelude to most of the ceremonial dances of San Juan Pueblo. Recorded on Prelude is the dance and song the evening before the day of the dance and the postlude follows the completion of the regular four circuits on the day of the dance. Ungay is particular to San Juan Pueblo. The first song is of the first circuit that takes place on the south plaza.

Repository Details

Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository

Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451