The first Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial was held in Gallup on September 22, 1922. It was initiated by traders and the Chamber of Commerce. In the early days, Native people came in wagons and camped in the surrounding hills, while tourists from across the nation traveled dirt roads to Gallup in newly acquired automobiles to see traditional Indian dances that had seldom been performed for the public. The Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial includes a world-class exhibition of Native American arts and crafts, rodeo, pow-wow, and parades, with its primary focus on ritual dance performed by many tribes.
