Jemez

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Location of the Jemez pueblos, neighboring pueblos, and reservations in New Mexico

The Jemez ( IPA xɛmɛθ or xɛmɛs) or Hį: mįsh (Hee-meesh or Hemish) are an Indian people and are part of the Pueblo Indians in the southwestern United States . They speak Towa (Jemez) , a language from the Kiowa-Tano language family . At the time of their first contact with the Spaniards, they lived in eleven small villages in the Agua Caliente region; later they lived in several villages on the tributaries of the Jemez River , before they moved to the main valley of the Jemez west of the present-day city of Santa Fe in New Mexico ; it was here that they built their current main settlement, Walatowa ("This is the [right] place"), better known as Jemez Pueblo .

history

Church of San José de los Jemez, Guisewa, Jemez State Monument

The earliest European contact with the Jemez came when Francisco de Barrio-Nuevo , one of the chiefs of the Coronado expedition, entered the area in 1541 and discovered seven pueblos in the area of Aguas Calentes (hot springs). In 1598 Juan de Oñate even reported eleven pueblos. The missionary efforts of the Franciscans , which soon began, were initially unsuccessful. In the course of the Spanish policy of uniting the Indian population in one place as far as possible, the Jemez were brought to the abandonment of most of their pueblos, so that in 1625 they were combined in only three villages, in Patoqua, Astialkawa and Guisewa . The Spanish established mission stations there . The ruins of Guisewa are now placed under protection in the Jemez State Monument . From the beginning, the tribe was hostile to the Spaniards.

In 1622 raids by the Navajo drove the residents from Patoqua and Guisewa, where the newly built church was also destroyed. In 1627, under the Franciscan Martín de Avenida, the Jemez were brought together again in Guisewa and the church was rebuilt. A little later, the Jemez allied with the Navajo to get rid of the Spaniards, but the uprising failed. The Spaniards retaliated cruelly. This event prompted the Jemez to take part in the successful Pueblo uprising of 1680, in which many Spaniards were killed and the rest were driven to El Paso .

Spanish attempts to retake Jemez were fought off by the residents, who withdrew to fortified bases on the nearby mesa every time soldiers appeared. From these fortresses they attacked the Santa Ana and Zia , who were allied with the Spanish. In 1694 Diego de Vargas and the allied Indians from Santa Ana, Zia and San Felipe attacked their village on the mesa; the survivors of this battle were resettled in Giusewa.

Soon after, however, the Jemez received military support from the Zuñi , Acoma and Navajo and resumed the fight against the pueblos in the south. The Jemez rebellion was finally put down and the refugees found asylum with the Navajo and Hopi . The Hemis- Kachina , a popular figure in the Niman dances , was brought to the Hopi by the Jemez at that time. Around 1703 most of the Jemez returned to the Jemez Valley and rebuilt their current settlement Walatowa ("This is the [right] place"), mostly known as Jemez Pueblo , on the previous site . In 1836 there was a union with the remaining inhabitants of Pecos, a Towa-speaking pueblo in the Galisteo basin.

Way of life and culture

Although many families cultivate small gardens, agriculture is declining in the Pueblo economy. Cattle breeding and seasonal work ensure an adequate income. Nevertheless there is high unemployment in the Pueblo because the distance to the big cities is far. Braided, bowl-shaped baskets made of yucca , pottery with strikingly strikingly painted patterns and beautiful embroidery are now handcrafted in the pueblo. At the end of the 20th century there were around 2,500 residents in the 350 km² reserve .

literature

Individual evidence


See also