People

The Native American population of New Mexico is made up of basically three groups. These are the Pueblos, the Navahos, and the Apaches. Since the Pueblos were here first their description comes first.The first thing that must be said about the Pueblos is that there are 18 separate villages that range from the northern Rio Grande valley down to the middle Rio Grande Valley and out to the Arizona border. They all do not speak the same language. The main language groups are Tiwa, Tewa, Towa, Zuni, and Keres. The language groups are not geograghically compact either, with the exception of Tewa and Zuni. The Pueblos are hard working, honest, and friendly people. They have managed to keep intact their basic cultural values and have added only those things from the outside world that are considered useful to them. Their native religious ceremonies are reserved for themselves only and outsiders are allowed to neither observe nor participate. Some of the ceremonial dances are open to the public and usually are in conjunction with certain Catholic saint and feast days. Most pueblos have dances for Christmas for example that are open to the public at large. The use of cameras and recording devices is not allowed. The New Mexico Magazine carries a good monthly schedule of Pueblo events if one is inclined to observe them. The Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque is also a very interesting place to visit and has activities on a regular basis.

The Pueblos have lost a lot of their land to the formation of the National Forests although in several cases have been able through legal action to effect the return of a small portion. Sandia Pueblo just recently got back that portion of the Sandia Mountains that is legally theirs. The Pueblos have also had to undergo a continuing fight to protect their water rights which have been under continuous assault since the late 1800’s. Even though each Pueblo is a self governing entity, they have been able to work with each other through a council of all the Pueblos and this has enabled them to present a united face to those, including the Federal Government, who wish to despoil and rob them. The issue of water is not going away either because the city of Albuquerque is running very short of water and it’s only a matter of time before there is another attempt to steal water from the middle Rio Grande Pueblos.
Most of the Pueblos are also active in running casinos, which provides much needed income for the villages. For many years Laguna Pueblo had good income from uranium mines and used it to good effect to expand their reservation.
Now on to the other tribal groups.