The United States of America is one of the countries populated with people drawn from almost all parts of the world which makes to be referred as the melting pot of world cultures. Inhabitants of this nation have a long-standing history with each group of inhabitants exhibiting an exciting story of origin. Perhaps the best example of this proposition is the native Indian tribes which are spread across the American cultural regions. These indigenous Indian tribes migrated to America from Asia over 15,000 years ago during the Ice Age when the sea levels were at their lowest. From here hey spread throughout Canada and the Americas where they have remained up to date. The natives America has a result contributed to a diversity in American population making this nation a culturally rich country. An analysis of the Native Americans from the Southwestern region especially the Pueblo tribe will reveal this proposition.
Native Americans in Southwestern Cultural Region
Native Americans in the US southwestern region inhabited the present day Arizona, Southern Colorado and New Mexico which is considered dry but fertile. According to Readers Digest Association (1995), some of the native Americans in this area picked up farming while others delved into hunting and gathering for survival These native Americans, however, were able to turn the dry conditions to fit their farming lifestyle. They did this by using their indigenous farming techniques which included irrigation and dry farming. The most notable tribes that settled in Southwestern cultural region include the Hopi, Navajo, Zuni, Hualapai, and Pueblo tribes. The Hopi tribe which was known for its craftsmanship most especially the ‘Kachinas’ which were dolls made out of woods and dressed in costumes and masks (Readers Digest Association, 1995). The Navajo which was the largest of the tribes were predominantly farmers who grew corn, melons, and beans. The Zuni was famous for its ceremonial dances and occupied the modern day New Mexico. Additionally, this group practiced farming as well as pottery. On the other hand, the Apaches were skilled hunters and gatherers as well as horticulturalists. The Apaches mainly hunted small game which supplemented their domesticated or wild plant foods. In addition to these they were famed for fighting skills, and they can still be found in New Mexico and Arizona.
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The southwestern native Americans practiced different lifestyles when it came to communal affairs. Some of these tribes lived in permanent structures while others lived in semi-permanent structures depending on its economic activities and cultural affiliation. The tribes that lived near Colorado river chose to construct durable structures to make use of this water for irrigation purposes. In addition to these, there were ingenious tribes that decided to build their shelters near or on cliffs to enhance safety from world animals. In addition to housing, these native Americans exhibited various and diverse cultural and social rituals.
Kinship ties among these tribes were of great significance, and each tribe had its practices when it came to advancing these kinship ties. According to Pauls & Thompson (2018), in some tribes, it was the males who headed the clans which were referred to as ‘bands’ while in others it was the females who were in charge of the tribal affairs. The clan leaders were responsible for settling public disputes and making decisions affecting the tribe. These leaders were chosen based on their skills either in consensus building, hunting, gathering or farming. The native Americans in the southwest region tribes were not much of political nature. Several bands formed a tribe which was organized loosely, but the Pima tribe stood out as the only tribe that had a tribal chief who was elected formally. For farmers, the males were the leaders of the tribe as the owned the lands in which the crops grew in, and it was a tradition for fathers to pass down the fields to their sons (Pauls & Thompson, 2018). Consequently, couples lived near the man’s family. In these tribes, the men’s responsibilities included hunting and clearing lands while the women handled domestic chores as well as rearing up children.
Focus on the Pueblos
As mentioned above, the Pueblos tribe comprised of the most extensive native tribe in Southwestern region as compared to the other tribes. This tribe, unlike others, was able to survive the Spanish invasion as it lived in the rugged terrain of the Colorado Platea. As such most of its social, religious, cultural and economic activities are understood in a more fair manner. The Pueblos were farmers who relied on rivers to provide water for irrigation as they lived in desert terrain (Readers Digest Association, 1995). They grew a variety of crops including corn, squash, cotton, and beans in their irrigated fields. This work was mainly done by the women in addition to herding sheep and weaving cloth. On the other hand, the women did household chores including rearing children, making pottery, weaving baskets as well as storing and cooking food. The products from these economic activities were in turn used in the trade network which had thrived at the time. The Pueblos exchanged their goods with copper, turquoise, shells and macaw feathers.
The Pueblo tribe was keen on fostering an efficient kinship system. The family was the basic unit of this tribe, and they lived as extended families including children, their parents, and grandparents. This ensured that critical family values were passed across generations to ensure the successful transition of such generations. To enhance this transfer of family values, the Pueblos then chose to live in permanent and compact villages which included multifamily structures and buildings. More so, the Pueblos were either matrilineal or patrilineal depending on where they lived. For example, some western Pueblos were matrilineal meaning that the kinship was the female while some Eastern Pueblos were either patrilineal or bilateral meaning kinship was from both males and females. Families with the same relation formed a lineage which was traced to a specific ancestor and included even the unborn. Lineages, in turn, formed clans which in turn created villages.
The Pueblos were very religious and are known for constructing Kivas which were religious buildings specially designed for conducting spiritual rituals and ceremonies. These Kivas were however frequented by men who performed secret spiritual rites.According to Liebmann & Preucel (2007), the men used particular prayer sticks known as Pahos to invoke the spirits. They believed that these spirits had the power to make life better or bitter for the Pueblos. As such, care was taken to ensure that the community remained pure to avoid angering the spirits. Additionally, their religion was animism in nature as they believed that all the natural object in the universe have a soul (Readers Digest Association, 1995). As such, they had religious totems such as the mountain lion, bluebird and the Avanyu which was a snake-like deity connected with thunderstorms and lightning.
The Pueblos creation myth is fascinating and colorful. They believed that the Creator created them out of a magical bag full of beautiful stones. When the bag was opened, it released butterflies which went out singing only to make the songbird jealous because of the competition. As a result, the creator took away the butterflies ability to sing to appease the songbird.
When it came to dressing, there were different clothes for both the women and men. According to Readers Digest Association (1995), the men wore breechcloths, which were rectangular and were made from cloth or animal skin. In addition to these, the men usually wore ponchos r cloaks in the cold season. On the other hand, the women wore mantas which were cotton dresses that reached the knee. These dresses were usually tied onto their right shoulders while the left shoulder was left bare. Their hair was kept long and would be tied into a knot which was then tried by a white string. More so the women valued silver ornaments and turquoise jewelry as well.
References
Liebmann, M. J., & Preucel. R. W. (2007). The archaeology of the Pueblo Revolt and the formation of the modern Pueblo world. Kiva 73(2): 195-217.
Pauls, E,.P. & Thompson, L. (2018). South West Indians. Encyclopedia Britannica . Retrieved on 12 January 2018 from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Southwest-Indian.
Readers Digest Association. (1995). Through Indian Eyes: The Untold Story of Native American Peoples. New York: Readers Diges.
