GLOSSARY |
BIBLIOGRAPHY |
SEVEN WAYS OF LEARNINGAnasazi Navajo Spanish What is Culture?
THE ANASAZI
The Anasazi were the prehistoric Indians who inhabited the Four Corners area (southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico) for a 2,000 year period from about 700 B.C. to the time of the arrival of the Spanish in the southwest. (See Map)
Since there was no written language, what we know of the Anasazi is what we can learn from artifacts or objects that remain today and from the ruins of their early pueblos. Their jewelry consisted of pendants, beads and buttons made from attractive stone materials, from bone and even from rare pieces of shell traded all the way from the Pacific Coast of the United States.
By 1450, the ancestral Pueblo People had regrouped into three regions further south - the Hopi mesas, Zuni territory, and the Upper Rio Grande. These were the Pueblo People encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century. They continue to live there today. Pueblo People today are lawyers, teachers, secretaries, doctors, writers, artists, laborers and politicians. Many live on the pueblo, but some live in towns and cities. Many continue to participate in Pueblo life and ceremonies.
CULTURE
Beliefs/ Religion of the Pueblo Peoples (Then and today)
In each of the languages spoken by the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico, there is no specific word for art or religion. These are simply part of the proper way to live one's life. Concern for the well-being of one's community and family is of primary importance. Reverence for Mother Earth and her People cannot be separated from everyday life.
Activity: Research Anasazi ruins at Chaco Canyon and Canyon de Chelly.
Activity: What is Culture?
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