{"id":10756,"date":"2024-10-07T17:10:19","date_gmt":"2024-10-07T17:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesouthtexan.com\/?p=10756"},"modified":"2024-12-17T16:49:51","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T16:49:51","slug":"familia-y-tamales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesouthtexan.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/07\/familia-y-tamales\/","title":{"rendered":"Familia y tamales"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Community shows out for festival
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The Conner Museum hosted its Third annual Tamalada Festival, which drew an even larger crowd this year, continuing its growth as one of the university\u2019s most celebrated events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first year we were hoping to get a couple hundred people, and we ended up having almost a thousand. Last year 1,700, I don\u2019t know how many we\u2019ll have [this year] but I think we are pretty close if not exceeded that,\u201d Director of Administration  and Operations Kathy Pawelek said, reflecting on the festival\u2019s rising popularity. The success of the festival highlights the community\u2019s enthusiasm for celebrating culture and tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the first time, the festival featured performances from the university\u2019s Folklorico dancers, adding a new and colorful element to the celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Folklorico is really beautiful, you get to showcase many regions of dance \u2026 it\u2019s just really beautiful to be a part of these dances to showcase our heritage and our culture,\u201d Samantha Salinas, one of the performers said. Her performance, alongside her fellow dancers, captivated the audience and emphasized the cultural significance of the event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the performances, festival attendees enjoyed food trucks and the festival\u2019s namesake: tamales. One of the event\u2019s main attractions was a hands-on experience with grinding corn with a metate<\/em>. Members of the community and school alike gathered around for this authentic Hispanic tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Members of the community looking at pi\u00f1atas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Members of the community trying their hand at grinding corn.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Couple dancing to Lazaro Perez y su Conjunto.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Folklorico dancers performing on the dance floor at Tamalada.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese types of festivals are very informative to the community, and they encourage the community to be engaged and to care about the culture, and about the process, and the history behind all this tamal process here [at TAMUK],\u201dSenior Myrka Gonzalez said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt provides everybody here a sense of belonging, a sense of \u2018wow that is my culture,\u2019 and I had never seen it as long as I had come to A&M Kingsville. Now it\u2019s \u2018wow I remember this song; I remember my grandma playing it and now I see a dance to it.\u2019 So, it brings this culture that even though some of the dancers don\u2019t speak Spanish they have been involved in Mexican American culture all their lives, and as you saw there is this energy that whether you\u2019re a dancer or not it just brings us together,\u201d Associate Professor of History and Director of the Mexican American Studies Institute Dr. Alberto Rodriguez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grupo Herencia Javelina is more than a dance group, it is something personal and meaningful to the dancers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy favorite part of being a part of this group is that I am able to dance and express my rich culture and heritage through Folklorico, as well as being able to dance different regions and wear different vestuarios<\/em> that are so beautiful with their vibrant colors and styles, and most importantly creating new friendships and a new group where everyone is welcomed to be themselves, engage in representing their school and heritage, as well as learning more and more about Folklorico and the team itself,\u201d Vice President of Grupo Herencia Javelina Samantha Salinas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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