Laguna (people)
The Laguna are Pueblo Indians and speak Keres , which has not yet been assigned to any language family. Founded in 1699, Laguna is the youngest of all the pueblos in New Mexico . The name is the Spanish name for lake . The Indian proper name is Kawaik , but its meaning is unknown.
history
The pueblo is located in the southwest of the USA , about 50 km west of the city of Albuquerque in New Mexico. It was founded by rebels from Cochiti and Santo Domingo after the Pueblo uprising of 1680, who survived Diego de Varga's attack on their fortress in La Cieneguilla in 1694 . They were later joined by members of other pueblos; the clans in Laguna trace their origins back to the Acoma , Zuñi , San Felipe , Zia , Oraibi , Sandia and Jemez .
Governor Cubero , who visited the pueblo in the founding year, called it San Jose de la Laguna . A mission was built in the village in 1706 under the direction of Friar Miranda .
In 1870, two Americans who had married Laguna women spread Presbyterianism in Laguna, which led to bitter differences between conservative elements and converts of the new religion . In 1875 a Presbyterian mission was built in the pueblo, and the followers of the new religion won the election of an outsider as governor of the village. In protest, the conservatives closed their kivas , packed their religious paraphernalia and left the pueblo; most of them went to Isleta and founded the Oraibi colony there . Some also moved to Mesita . This exodus left Laguna with no religious guidance.
Way of life and culture
The tribal leadership in Laguna is perhaps the most progressive of all pueblos. The substantial payments for uranium mining rights will be invested in school programs and local job creation programs for Indians. An electronic factory on their reservation has grown into a successful business for the owners and the tribe. Most of the Laguna actively participate in tribal elections; those who live outside the pueblo use postal voting.
Most of the residents of Laguna earn a living from wage labor, although a small number do some farming and ranching.
Given the diverse origins of Laguna's people, it is not surprising that some of their craft skills are very similar to those of other pueblos. Pottery is indistinguishable from Acoma ware, woven yucca baskets are identical to those from Jemez, while kachina dolls resemble those from Zuni. Today, however, few handicrafts are made in Laguna, with the exception of pearl embroidery.
The population of Laguna, which used to be concentrated in the actual Laguna, is now divided into seven nearby villages: Paguate, Encinal, Paraje, New Laguna, Mesita, Casa Blanca and Seama . The latter parish contains three suburbs with the strange-sounding names of Harrisburg , Philadelphia, and New York . At the end of the 20th century there were around 6,760, of which 5,725 were permanent residents in the approximately 1,666 km² reserve.
literature
- William C. Sturtevant (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians , Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC
- Alfonso Ortiz (Ed.): Southwest Vol. 9, 1979 ISBN 0-16-004577-0
- Alfonso Ortiz (Ed.): Southwest Vol. 10, 1983 ISBN 0-16-004579-7