San Ildefonso (people)
The residents of San Ildefonso are Pueblo Indians and speak Tewa , a language from the Kiowa-Tano language family . San Ildefonso is the Spanish name for Santa Ildefonsus . The Spaniards named their missions after saints of the Catholic Church . The Indian proper name is Pokwoge and means where the water cuts through . The pueblo is located in the southwest of the USA , on the Rio Grande in New Mexico , about 40 km northwest of Santa Fe at the foot of the Pajarito Mountains .
history
According to tradition, the ancestors lived in the cliff houses of Mesa Verde . From archaeological finds it is known that the Indians of San Ildefonso, together with other Tewa-speaking groups, inhabited three villages on the Pajarito Plateau before they moved to the present area.
They have inhabited this area since 1300 AD, although the location of the village has changed a few times. The village visited by Juan de Oñate in 1598 was almost two kilometers from today's Pueblo.
In 1617 the Spanish established a mission in the village. It was destroyed by the Indians when they took part in the pueblo uprising in 1680 . The current church was only built in 1905.
In search of a location of the pueblos that could be more easily defended against the Spanish, the people left their village in 1694 and moved to the top of the nearby Black Mesa . Together with allies from neighboring tribes, they successfully withstood three attacks by Diego de Vargas' troops here. After staying in this mesa fortress for nine months, they finally gave up and returned to their village.
Poor harvests and ongoing religious repression led to another revolt against Spanish rule in 1696. Most of the inhabitants left their pueblo again and sought refuge with other tribes; some moved far west to the Hopi villages to stay. In 1702 the Spaniards settled the Pueblo San Ildefonso with other Tewa-speaking Indians.
The village continued to struggle against emergencies. In the late 18th century, an estimated half of the population died from a smallpox epidemic . Religious oppression continued and San Ildefonso became the scene of a number of witch trials.
To avert further misfortune, the spiritual leaders of the pueblo decided in 1910 to change the location of the village. About half of the residents moved south to what is now known as South Plaza ; the other half resisted the move and continued to live in the North Plaza . The result was a serious political split as the religious leaders rallied in the southern village while the secular officials stayed in the northern village. This separation lasted for over fifty years, but has now been completely eliminated because the village development shows a cooperative community spirit.
religion
Religion is the most important aspect of the San Ildefonso's life. It unites the people and strengthens the community spirit. Men and women have equal rights and pass the faith on to their children. All adults belong to the religious community. People of other faiths, i.e. whites and Indians of other tribes, are not allowed to take part in the special religious ceremonies, unless they are members of other Tewa tribes or Pueblo Indians.
Culture
The famous polished black pottery from San Ildefonso is the revival of an earlier craft, pieces of which were found in the ruins on the Pajarito Plateau. Attempts to recreate these historical finds were initiated by the Santa Fe School of American Research . These experiments were so successful that the manufacture of these pottery soon became an important source of income for the pueblo. In 1919 the most famous of all Indian potters, Maria Martinez , and her husband Julian began making polished pieces decorated with matt black patterns. Rosalie Aguilar made the first engraved copies in 1931. A number of excellent potters continued the work, creating beautiful polished pieces, black and red, using both decorative techniques. In 2000 there were 494, 300 of whom were permanent residents, in the approximately 104 km² reserve .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Tom Bathi: South Western Indian Tribes. Page 25. KC Publications, Las Vegas, 1997 ISBN 0-916122-01-8
literature
- William C. Sturtevant (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC
- Alfonso Ortiz (Ed.): Southwest. Vol. 9, 1979, ISBN 0-16004-577-0 .
- Alfonso Ortiz (Ed.): Southwest. Vol. 10, 1983, ISBN 0-16004-579-7 .
- Tom Bathi: Southwestern Indian Tribes. KC Publications, Las Vegas 1997, ISBN 0-916122-01-8 .
Web links
See also
Coordinates: 35 ° 54 ' N , 106 ° 7' W