Arizona Tewa
The Tano among the Pueblo Indians and were not rooted in the true sense, but each consisted of a Pueblo village, which functioned as an autonomous political unit. This did not mean that these groups were isolated. They drove with other Pueblos trade, to their common origin were aware, had similar values and occasionally married partner from another village.
Residential area and language
The Tano lived in northern New Mexico and was the largest language group among the Pueblo Indians, belonging to the Kiowa - Tano language family. The Tano consists of three main languages , Tiwa, Tewa, and Towa. Tiwa is spoken by the residents of Taos, Picuris, Sandia and Isleta. Tewa is the language in the pueblos Nambe, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, San Juan, Santa Clara, and Tesuque. Jemez Pueblo is the only one in which can be heard today, Towa.
The Pueblo Indians can be divided into two groups according to location of their villages. The Eastern Pueblo ( Tano and Keres speakers) live on the Rio Grande and its tributaries, and thus have a permanent water source that allows them to irrigated agriculture. The Western Pueblo ( Hopi, Zuni, Acoma and Laguna ) are due to lack of continuous water supply rely on dryland.
Cultural roots
The culture of the Tano has its roots in the prehistoric Anasazi culture. Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning the same. Between 100 BC and 500 AD prehistoric settlements, which consisted of pit houses and mud huts originated in the southwestern United States today. From here, the Anasazi went hunting, gathering wild plants, buildings in addition pumpkins, beans and corn and kept everything in pits under stone slabs fresh.
Around 700 AD, the Anasazi began to build above-ground stone houses. It developed the Kiva, an underground room which is used for rituals. To this period belong the most important territorial expansion of the Anasazi, whose territory is now far still went to Utah and extending even into southern Colorado and northern Mexico.
In classical Anasazi period 1050-1300 was the majority of the villages, as in Mesa Verde, from compact multi-storey communal buildings with several kivas. Until puzzling today the reason why many large settlements were abandoned at the end of the era remains. For decades, one made a devastating drought of 1276-1299 responsible, but today this theory is not generally maintained. Nevertheless, it is clear that the Anasazi were around 1300 a conspicuous Auszehrungsprozess victim. Only then was the invasion of foreign tribes. Until about 1500, there is little evidence of raids by Apaches and Diné. It took several decades, until the Spanish conquered the Indian villages of the Southwest their rule.
History after 1500
1539 came the Spanish missionary Marcos de Niza was the first European to Tano. Francisco de Coronado explored in the years 1541 and 1542, the area of present-day New Mexico and penetrated this far to the east and north. In their advance Coronado's men tried in vain to subjugate a people, which they called by the Pueblo of them made structures. At the beginning of the 16th century, New Mexico, in particular the valley of the Rio Grande, densely populated and intensively farmed. In 1598 the country was finally occupied by the Spaniards and the missions built in 1630 in almost all the pueblos.
Through a mass uprising of the Pueblo Indians in 1680, the so-called Pueblo revolt, the Spaniards were initially sold. It was particularly the Indian priest who organized the uprising. At the top there was a priest named chief from San Juan Popé. But in 1692 returned to the Spaniards and reduced the number of pueblos from 90 to 30 Nevertheless, the rebellion in the long term a success for the Tano. For never again attempted the Spaniards, the Indians impose their religion and culture with such brutality, such as before the uprising.
By the end of the Mexican - American War in 1848, Tano were managed by the Spanish or Mexican governments, and then subject to the United States. Despite this foreign rule succeeded the Indians to preserve their traditions for the most part. Especially the western villages were successfully opposing the Spanish influence, while the Pueblos to the east integrated some Spanish elements in their culture.
Life and culture
The water resources affect of food procurement to religion from many areas of life. Economically, many Tano are cultivators. Some also hold small sheep and cattle, produce handicraft products, such as woven fabrics, silver jewelry, Kachina dolls, pottery and basketry. Today, Tano, like many other residents of the Southwest, also wage earners and go to the nearby big cities, such as Albuquerque and Santa Fe. However, all return when it comes to participate in important ceremonies.
Religion permeates all areas of life. Based on the insight that man and nature must live in harmony, cultural traditions have the Tano rich developed, which are expressed in their poetry, their legends, songs, dances and in their art. The ceremonial center of the village is the Kiva. Here are held private and communal religious rites daily and at appropriate times of the year. Often, an annual feast day which is celebrated on the feast day of the Roman Catholic saints. In addition to the Christian masses and processions there are the traditional ceremonies, consisting of dances accompanied by singing and drumming.
Secular and ecclesiastical authorities are separated in the pueblos sharply from each other. Each village is a well- structured theocracy headed by a cacique is. In the eastern Pueblos secular organization is in the hands of a governor who is appointed or elected annually.
The Pueblos of the Tewa are divided into two halves or moieties society whose membership is determined through the paternal line. In one half of the political and ceremonial duties are in the hands of a Moiety, the sun people, during the winter people takes the other half. The most important religious ceremonies take place at harvest time. They consist mainly of prayers, thanking those for good earnings or rain. Especially in the western Pueblo Indians are the spirits of the ancestors and other good spirits, the Kachinas, worshiped. In the rituals embody masked dancers these spirits and children receive Kachina dolls.
The Pueblos of the Tano considered to be the oldest, continuously occupied settlements in North America. Low income, inadequate health care, poor education and high unemployment among the Pueblo Indians have led in recent years intensified social tensions. At the same time but again a greater awareness of traditions developed.