The Influential Native people from the Pueblo family
The Pueblo family of Native Americans are a diverse set of tribes that come from the same origin. Due to the diversity of these people, the backgrounds and morals of the tribes are different, but they still have a common theme. Looking from the past to the present these group of tribes have been impacted by many of their fellow natives. Many influential people have shaped the culture of the Puebloans natives throughout the passage of time.
The pueblo Native American tribe impacted the culture of the surrounding new Mexican region through their interactions with foreign entities. Don Nardo recounts the culture of pueblo society as one focused on pottery making and religious rites based on their environment (“Indians of the American west”). In the novel Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko, the main character Tayo compares the environment to his current emotional state (Silko 13). Since the healing ceremony’s in the novel are based off Laguna healing ceremonies, we can conclude the Pueblo’s attachment to nature was passed on to the tribes that came after. One of the first interactions with foreign powers in Pueblo society was with Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea in which she acted as a “Shoshone interpreter and peace maker” (“The Aztec-Tanoan Families”) for her European travelers. Due to the European practices and culture spread by Sacagawea, the Pueblos adopted irrigation systems to help produce more crops which helped them to settle into separate communities of their own. In comparison, the Laguna also have dominated agricultural
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practices and have a rain god to pray for because of this agricultural importance. The most important event that shaped Native American culture (Laguna culture) was the pueblo revolution. The revolution was caused mostly due to the enslavement of many natives, and the use of coerced labor by the Spanish (New Mexico: Native American). These atrocities prompted the multiple tribal leaders of the pueblo to rise up and fight the Spanish with the most notable one being Popé. Popé and the other natives concocted a plan to overthrow the Spanish and were successful until the Spanish returned and took over the land again. As a result, the Pueblo were granted more freedom after the Spanish came returned, and the Pueblo viewed it as a success. “Today Popé is revered as the leader of the Pueblo revolt of 1860 and a war hero” (“Popé”). As an effect of the bad treatment of the pueblo, a distaste for foreign powers is still present in the Laguna which parallels the view of foreigners as stated by Leslie Marmon Silko in her interview. All of these events in history have shaped the cultural norms in Laguna society as seen by the similar practices in Pueblo and Laguna societies.
The unique art and crafting techniques of the New Mexican area can be attributed to the Native Americans in the area. One Puebloan tribe called the Zuni used to not have any crafting techniques to make jewelry and other wares until a Native American called Atsidi Chon appeared. Lanyade, never knowing how to craft, stated that:
At the time, no one in Zuni knew how to make silver, and we had never seen anyone make it . We had seen the Mexicans and the Navajo wearing it, and we had bought some pieces of it from them. But those silver buttons and bracelets were very expensive, and only a few people in the village had any. (“Lanyade”)
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This statement reveals that it was not until the introduction of Atsidi Chon that the Zuni were introduce to metallurgy. As Lanyade learned more crafting methods for jewelry he started to trade his goods with other Puebloan tribes such as the Laguna and the Hopi(“Lanyade”). This cultural diffusion is evident by the wide use of pottery and jewelry in New Mexico today. Culture grams also states that New Mexico has an abundance of “native traditional art” (Native America) in the state. This information provides evidence that the interactions between Atsidi and Lanyade influenced the culture of the region. Furthermore, we can trace back the use of pottery and jewelry making to the Ancestral Pueblo; who are people who are the Ancestors of the Pueblo (“Ancestral Native Life”). In conjunction with Lanyade’s account inferences can be made that Atsidi metal techniques could have been passed down through the teachings of the Ancestral Pueblo. With all this information, it is hard to discount the impact that Lanyade and Atsidi had on New Mexican culture in the past and how it developed into the culture New Mexico has today.
Native Americans have been mistreated throughout history and today some Natives have tried to support their fellow Natives. The author of Ceremony stated that in her novel she tried to address the conflicts between traditional and modern ways (“Leslie Marmon Silko”). Ceremony helped to bring to light the struggles of Native Americans adapting to the modern way of life. Another example of a Native American hoping to improve the life of Native Americans was Charlene Teeters. Charlene Teeters was a Spokane tribal member who was most known for her actions toward the stereotypes of Native Americans (“Spokane tribal member, artist challenges images in the media”). Both of these people addressed the caricatures of Native Americans and how the paint a bad light on the traditions of Natives. For example, In Ceremony the white
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people view the Natives as idiots and unable to comprehend society(Ceremony). Despite this biased view Leslie reveals that Natives have been mistreated from all parts of time. As previously stated the Pueblo revolution started due to the enslavement of the Natives which correlates with the same injustice that Leslie addresses in her novel. Both Leslie and Charlene have also defined Native American culture in how it should be and their impact can be seen by the achievement of a best-selling novel and the founding of the National Racism in Sports and Media. They not only influenced the culture by themselves, but inspired people of the future. “Leslie Mormon Silko made a huge impact on modern literature today” (“Leslie Mormon Silko). Leslie Mormon Silko inspired many other Native Mexican books while Charlene inspired others to stand up for Native American Cultures. These two exemplary figures have contributed an endless amount to people’s view on Native American culture.
All this information reveals without the Pueblo Natives and other Native America families, the culture of America would be completely different. These inspirational figures took the initiative to change the world around them. Overall, it is easy to see the impact that Native Americans have had in history, and in the culture, we have today.