Pueblo
means village: Pueblo is not the name of a
tribe. It is a Spanish word for village. The Pueblo People are the
decedents of the Anasazi
People. But to keep things straight, many historians use the year
1300 CE to make the switch from Anasazi People to Pueblo People.
Migration:
Around 1300 CE, the Ancient Ones left their
cliff villages and moved to the desert floor. It was then that the
Anasazi people started to be called the Pueblos. One of the reasons
they moved was that there had been a terrible drought that hurt
the crops.
The two new tribes who had moved into the area
also concerned them - the
Apache and the
Navajo. These new tribes were not at all like the Pueblo. The
Pueblo were peaceful. The Apache and Navajo were warriors. The Pueblo
were farmers. The Apache and Navajo were hunters and gatherers. The
Pueblo lived by growing crops. The Apache and Navajo kept stealing
their crops.
Rather than go to war with either of these
warriors groups, the Pueblo Council decided the most peaceful solution
would be to move. So they did. They moved to the desert floor.
Common
Bonds: There were (and are) many Pueblo. A
strong love for the land, a common language, and a deep commitment to
their religious beliefs hold the many Pueblo people together.
Pueblo People: Acoma, Cochiti, Hopi,
Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe,
San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Dimingo, Taos,
Tesuque, Zia, Zuni
Food and Crops
Food: In
olden times, the Pueblo People were probably the best farmers. They
grew many crops including corn, squash, beans, peppers, and wheat, as
did their ancestors, the Ancient Ones.
Fire
Stones: Pueblo woman made a wonderful bread
called paper bread by spreading a thin layer of corn paste (a mix of
corn meal and water) on a flat baking stone. They set the stone at the
edge of the fire to cook the bread.
Clothing and
Costumes
Clothing:
In olden times, men wore shirts and kilts. A
kilt is a man's skirt. In more modern times, men wore shirts and
pants made of fabric or wool. Women wore colorful cotton dresses. Both
used blankets as wraps.
Jewelry:
They used a lot of turquoise
in their jewelry. They made beads and necklaces from pieces from bones
and rocks. They used natural things in everything they wore.
Headdresses/Face
Painting: On special occasions, they wore
headdresses. They looked like huge layered blonde wigs made of yarn
and other materials. Also, on special occasions, they painted their
face with one black streak down each side of their nose and mouth. It
could be any color but it was usually black.
Village
Councils & Representative Government:
As their ancestors, the Ancient Ones, did before
them, each Pueblo village had its own government. Each clan chose a
leader to represent them in the Village Council.
When a decision was needed on a broader scale,
each village selected a representative to speak for their village at a
tribal council.
Pueblo Kids
Women taught the girls to cook and to make
pottery. The men taught the boys how to hunt and weave. The kids had
strong bonds with both parents, and a huge extended family that
included grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Pueblo families
shared their belongings. Kids did not have anything of their own.
Everything belonged to everyone in the family.
Pueblo
Religion
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