Courtesy/New Mexico Historic Sites
New Mexico Historic Sites News:
Alcalde and Fort Sumner – Two sheep shearing and fiber community events bring family-friendly fun this spring to New Mexico Historic Sites. On Sunday, April 12, Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde is hosting its annual Sheep Shearing Day, and on Saturday, May 2, Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site is hosting its annual Fiber Fair.
These two events are a great opportunity to see both sites’ flock of Navajo-Churro sheep up close and learn how their wool is removed, processed, and turned into fiber art. Events include sheep shearing, wool skirting, spinning and weaving demonstrations, and food trucks.
At Los Luceros’ Sheep Shearing Day, held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., the sheep will be sheared using traditional double-bow hand shears. Visitors can help skirt the wool as it comes off the sheep, and the site will have fleece available to take home for a suggested donation. The event will be held in conjunction with the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area’s Cultures and Creators event, which includes an art exhibition and hands-on activities at the site.
“We are excited to host our first event of the season. It is an opportunity for the public to learn about and experience an activity with deep historic origins, and for the local community to celebrate one of its many long-standing traditions,” said John Perrotto, Los Luceros Site Manager.
At Bosque Redondo Memorial’s Fiber Fair, held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., visitors can watch sheep shearing in the corrals, help clean, wash, and card wool, or learn hand-spinning and hand loom weaving from Las Arañas Spinners and Weavers Guild volunteers. Additionally, this event will be showcasing a pop-up exhibit that features New Mexican fiber art professionals and their various creations in the site community room to celebrate the depth of fiber artistry.
Visitors can also learn the history of Navajo-Churro sheep from a ranger or visit the permanent exhibition, “Bosque Redondo: A Place of Suffering, A Place of Survival.” Self-guided audio tours along the outdoor interpretive trail will be available. Local food trucks provided by the Friends of the Bosque Redondo Memorial will sell food and drinks at the event.
“Fiber art is one of those common human threads that is so vastly different from culture to culture and yet the similarity of methods connects us all together,” said Aaron Roth, site manager at Bosque Redondo Memorial. “We hope you will come to this event to celebrate our differences and take away a yarn worth spinning.”
New Mexico has a rich and varied sheep and wool-related history, which is tied directly to both the Spanish settlers and the Diné (Navajo). Over time, the breed was threatened with extinction; however, concerted efforts have brought the Navajo-Churro Sheep back. Both sites care for and breed Navajo-Churro Sheep, and the Friends of the Bosque Redondo Memorial offers a program to donate sheep to Diné families who want to continue the cultural practice of raising these sheep.
Admission to both events is included with site admission of $7 for adults and free to children 16 and younger, Indigenous people, NM foster families, New Mexico disabled veterans, Friends members, and MNMF members.
About Los Luceros Historic Site
Los Luceros Historic Site is on a picturesque 148-acre ranch north of Alcalde, New Mexico, on the east bank of the Río Grande. The centerpiece of the site is a magnificent Territorial-style Hacienda that houses centuries of history within its walls (currently closed while undergoing restoration). The property also includes a 19th century capilla (chapel), Victorian cottage, carriage house, guesthouse, and farm. Learn more at nmhistoricsites.org/los-luceros.
About Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site
Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site delivers visitors into the heart of history and tragedy. In 1863, some 10,000 Navajos were forced to make the “Long Walk,” 450 miles across New Mexico to the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation, or H’weeldi, meaning place of suffering. Hundreds of Ndé were also interned there. Bosque Redondo Memorial was created in 2005 and revitalized in 2021 with strong support from the Diné and Ndé. Learn more at nmhistoricsites.org/bosque-redondo.