Tesuque

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

The Tesuque are Pueblo Indians and speak Tewa , a language from the Kiowa-Tano language family . Tesuque is a Spanish alienation of the real name Tatunge , which means dry place . The pueblo is located in the southwest of the USA in New Mexico , a few kilometers north of Santa Fe .

history

Tesuque probably existed in two different places in historical times. The first village was three miles west of today's pueblo. It was abandoned during the Pueblo Uprising of 1680 and the 17th century mission destroyed. In Tesuque the pueblo uprising began and the residents took part in the general attack on Santa Fe. The Tesuquer then split up to join other Tewa Indians in Black Mesa and La Cieneguilla , and returned in the early 18th century to rebuild their village.

Way of life and culture

The Pueblo Tesuque has retained much of its old way of life; The religious and political leadership is in the hands of two caciques , the heads of the winter and summer moieties of the village. Even so, they are practical and progressive enough to enable young and efficient people to be appointed to those secular offices that regulate business matters outside the pueblo.

Tesuque produced very handsome pottery, but this disappeared in the early 20th century. The potters began making clay knickknacks painted with watercolors for American tourists. The most notorious of these is the so-called Tesuque rain god , which was originally made as a gift for a midwestern confectionery manufacturer. He was probably modeled after a figure from ancient Mexico and has no relation to Tesuque, rain or gods. It's still being made and sold today.

The US census from 2000 resulted in 383, 165 of them permanent residents in the approximately 68 km² large reservation .

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

See also

• List of North American Indian tribes

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tom Bathi: Southwestern Indian Tribes. KC Publications, Las Vegas 1997, ISBN 0-916122-01-8 , p. 22.