Pueblo of Isleta
The Isleta are a Native American people, and among the Pueblo Indians. They speak Tiwa, a language from the Tano Kiowa language family. The name comes from the Spanish word for small island. Your own name is Tuel and means city. The residence is identical to the surface by the greatest of all southwestern Pueblos and lies on the Rio Grande south of Albuquerque in New Mexico. It has the second largest population of all the Pueblos when the suburbs Chicale and the Oraibi called Laguna to count colony.
History
The population of Isleta was in the 17th century sought the admission of refugees from other Tiwa villages, the protection against raids of the Apaches, greatly increased. Of the twenty villages that made up the Southern Tiwa province at the time of the Spaniards, was left end of the 18th century only Isleta.
The large number of Spanish settlers who had moved from 1680 before the Pueblo Revolt to Isleta, unintentionally prevented the participation of the village in the uprising. Before Governor Antonio de Otermin reached on his retreat to El Paso del Norte Isleta, most of the inhabitants, however, had left her Pueblo and joined the rebels.
During his unsuccessful attempt in 1681 to reconquer New Mexico, attacked Governor de Otermin Isleta and various other Southern Tiwa villages. He took hundreds of prisoners he settled south of El Paso in a new village called Isleta de Sur. Descendants of this group still live on a reservation and have taken the first steps to preserve their culture and renew.
Isleta Pueblo was the only one on the Rio Grande, who took over the Spanish custom of the gubernatorial election. The transfer of the power of the caciques, of which usually secular officials were appointed, certain implementation problems developed. Around 1880, there was about this question serious party disputes, and the controversy about the treatment of village affairs and election process continues to this day. A constitution adopted in 1947 and a government in the form of a council meeting could not solve all these problems.
Life and culture
With some success, the attempt was made in Isleta to farm as a community enterprise. Mostly corn, beans, cotton and pumpkins are grown. Even so, many residents still have their own gardens and livestock. Wage labor in Albuquerque is probably the most important and easiest source of income. Silver forged and woven handicrafts still produced in decreasing amounts. The so-called Isleta pottery is from the Laguna colony that has settled around 1880 in Isleta. Despite all the differences of opinion exist in Isleta an active ceremonial life. The most important religious ceremonies take place at the end of the harvest season. They consist mainly of prayers and dances, is thanked those for a good harvest and rain ( Corn Dance on 28 August ). Residents are divided into summer and winter people who are responsible for the cyclical rituals alternately.
The San Antonio de la Isleta church was again rebuilt and on a few times, but is likely to contain many details of the 1626 built the original Mission San Augustin de la Isleta.
Demography
The population of Isleta was estimated in 1680 to 2,000 residents. In the late 20th century their number was about 3,650, of which 2,440 permanent residents, in the 851 -acre reserve lived.