In Native American teachings, winter is a special time of year. “There’s a place for every season,” says Sara Candelaria, a member of San Felipe Pueblo. “Winter is a time of calming and bringing things down, kind of like a hibernation period. It’s also a time when people recuperate and reset.” 

As director of the Pueblo of San Felipe Elderly Services Program, Candelaria has the honor of absorbing lessons from her community’s elders on a regular basis. “They share how winter helps us to learn and grow from everything we’ve been through,” she says. “It’s also the time when snow and frost provide for our communities, nourishing Mother Earth and everything else that will be brought to life with the coming of the New Year.”

Throughout New Mexico’s Native American tribes, winter is often a time to visit friends and family, enjoy winter traditions, and, with some tribes, share stories that are reserved for this time of year. Winter traditions include the Zuni Shalako celebration, as well as the Diné shoe game, or késhjéé, of the Navajo Nation, which reflects the cycles of life. For Pueblo people, winter is when new leadership is welcomed with the passing of the canes. These canes were gifted by the United States government, Mexico, and Spain, and they signify tribal sovereignty and are passed from one tribal administration to the next.

“Winter is a time of calming and bringing things down, kind of like a hibernation period. It’s also a time when people recuperate and reset.” 

—Sara Candelaria

“During the winter months, when the nights are long and there isn’t much to do, families sit inside by the warmth of the fireplace listening to stories about the animals, to our creation stories, or from our elders about their youth,” says Emmett Shkeme Garcia, a Native American storyteller from Tamaya. “The stories may seem like conversations, but they represent the significance of oral traditions. Grandparents and parents reflect upon how our people came to be and where our people settled. Winter is a good time to share information about culture, language, and customs, often with a lot of laughter. It’s a time to be with family and friends.”

At this time of year, most tribes in New Mexico open up their communities to visitors to enjoy the songs and dances that have sustained their people for generations, including the Pueblo winter buffalo dances. These dances call upon a time when the bison provided sustenance, and reflect upon the Pueblo peoples’ historical—and present day—cultural ties to the bison.

Passed on through generations, the buffalo dance reflects this symbiotic relationship within the songs and the dancers’ movements, and each tribe has unique teachings about why it was gifted to their people. When asked what this dance means to them, Pueblo elders may share stories of joy that evoke the holiday season. “The teachings of the elders say the buffalo dance calls for the snow blessings,” says Candelaria. For Anthony Garcia, an elder from Ohkay Owingeh, the buffalo dance is a celebration of the winter clan and life. “Hearing these songs gives me a good feeling in my heart,” he says. “They say the drum is the heartbeat of Mother Earth. Today when I pick up the drum, it makes me whole-hearted and happy to be here.”

Across New Mexico, Indigenous peoples’ connection to the winter traditions that have been passed on to them are key to cultural resilience. “It’s what carries us on our journeys through life, wherever life may take us,” Candelaria says. “It always comes back to these teachings, words, and cultural practices.”