All about the ancient tribes
Zuni, also spelled Zuñi, North American Indian tribe of what is now west-central New Mexico, on the Arizona border. The Zuni are a Pueblo Indian group and speak a Penutian language. They are believed to be descendants of the prehistoric Ancestral Pueblo (Anasazi).
The Zuni tribe lived in homes that were made of stone adobe with flat roofs. Their homes look like multistory house complexes complete with hefty stones cemented jointly with adobe (a combination of clay and straw). The Zuni Tribe is also unique in their own way than any other tribe.
Archeologists believe Zuni history began well before 2500 B.C. when the tribe moved into the Southwest as big game hunters. Between 2500 B.C. and 700 A.D. the Zuni Indians made their first attempts at agriculture and hunted smaller game.
1: a member of an American Indian people of western New Mexico. 2: the language of the Zuni people.
Although some Zuni have converted to Catholic and Protestant faiths—including Mormonism —the Zuni religion remains so dominant in the pueblo that several members of the tribe told me that despite having elected officials, they feel they live in a theocracy controlled by priests.
The current day Zuni are a Federally recognized tribe and most live in the Pueblo of Zuni on the Zuni River, a tributary of the Little Colorado River, in western New Mexico, United States.
Rocks of Permian to Quaternary age supply stock, irrigation, and domestic water to the Zuni Indians. The Glorieta Sandstone and San Andres Limestone (Glorieta-San Andres aquifer) of Permian age and sandstones in the Chinle Formation of Triassic age provide most of this water supply.
Zuni Jewelry. The Zuni jewelry makers are known primarily for their intricate stonework designs. Stones for these pieces are cut down and shaped for placement in precise and intricate designs. The main styles of Zuni jewelry are Clusterwork, Needlepoint, Petit Point and Inlay.
The Zuni have been known for making turquoise and silver jewelry, beadworks, baskets, and pottery. Pottery played a vital role in the Zuni community.
In 1540, the first Spanish explorers led by Francisco Vásquez de Coronado encountered the Zuni Indians living in six or seven large pueblos along the banks of the Zuni River, of which, all are in ruins today.
Bear (Anshe) was the principal animal for the Pueblo People and they are the most prevalent subject of Zuni fetishes. Bear fetishes are used for healing, protection, strength, journeying, mothering, hunting and gathering. Bear’s hibernation reminds us of the value of going within.
The Zuni (Zuñi) River is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in the southwestern United States. It has its origin in Cibola County, New Mexico, in the Zuñi Mountains at the Continental Divide. Zuni River.
Zuñi River | |
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• elevation | 5,407 ft (1,648 m) |
Basin size | 1,300 sq mi (3,400 km2) |
Zuni people lived in adobe houses or pueblos, which are multi-story house complexes made of large stones cemented together with adobe (a baked mixture of clay and straw). Each adobe unit was home to one family, like a modern apartment. Zuni people used ladders to reach the upstairs apartments.
The principal known Indian peoples who farmed extensively on the Great Plains when first discovered by European explorers were, from south to north, Caddoans in the Red River drainage, Wichita people along the Arkansas River, Pawnee in the Kansas River and Platte River drainages, and the Arikara, Mandan, and Hidatsa
ZUNI is not a valid scrabble word.