JEMEZ PUEBLO, N.M. — The leaders of a Pueblo Indian community in New Mexico have banned trick-or-treating on tribal land, saying costumed children on the streets this Halloween will be sent home because the practice runs counter to tribal culture.
Jemez Pueblo Gov. Joshua Madalena also said a gruesome killing last month involving two young men has led the community to realize it needs to stay in touch with its youth.
He said the Sept. 29 stabbing death of tribal member Matthew Panana, 21, allegedly by Lucas Toledo, 22, affected the whole community, although he also said he had been discussing the trick-or-treat ban with the Jemez Tribal Council, public-safety officials and pueblo elders for months.
Trick-or-treating, which has been common on the 2,000-member pueblo northwest of Albuquerque for years, also doesn’t fit with efforts to preserve traditions and it’s dangerous for children to walk around badly lit, unpaved roads at night, Madalena said.
“We want to continue to promote our traditional way of life in Jemez Pueblo,” Madalena told the Albuquerque Journal.
“Our day is All Souls Day . . . where we pay tribute to our ancestors and our families that have passed on to the other world and ask them to continue to bless us.”
