Like all Pueblo Indians, the Zuni (who refer to themselves as Ashiwi) can trace their heritage back to at least the time of Christ. Oral histories and archaeological data suggest that the Zuni people were once spread widely throughout the Southwest, and that their ancestors began to aggregate in the Zuni region between about A.D. 1250 to 1300. The Zuni pueblo of Hawikku was the first Southwestern village to be encountered by Coronado in his legendary search for the Seven Cities of Gold. At that time, the Zuni lived in six large villages along the Zuni River; during the Pueblo Revolt, however, they fled to the top of Corn Mountain for safety.
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After the Spanish Reconquest of the region in 1692 the population congregated into one village where they have remained since. Because of their closer proximity to Santa Fe, the Zuni have experienced greater European contact and influences than the Hopi. However, they experienced only sporadic contact with the Europeans until the late 1800s. After that time, anthropologists, missionaries and educators began to interact with the Zuni on a more frequent basis. |
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Zuni Pueblo with Corn Mountain in the background Source - New Mexico Digital Collections, Fray Angelico Chavez History Library, Graphics |
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Language
The Zuni language is unrelated to any other known language.
Environment and Subsistence
Like the Hopi, the Zuni lack access to permanent irrigable rivers. However, water near Zuni is far more abundant and predictable than water in the Hopi region. Year-round water is available from the Zuni River as well as from the numerous springs and several lakes that dot the region. Soils in the Zuni river valley are deep and fertile, allowing for successful agriculture. Nonetheless, precipitation in the region is quite variable, resulting in variability in year-to-year crop yields. To offset the risk associated with this variability, the Zuni traditionally try to maintain at least a two-year supply of stored crops. Like the Hopi, the Zuni practiced a variety of agricultural techniques including small-scale irrigation, ak chin farming, and dry farming. In addition to these methods they also construct waffle gardens, which are small, but highly productive, agricultural plots built in shallow, square depressions separated by low mud walls, to make waffle-like cells. The low walls around the plots help conserve water, regulate temperature and protect plants from the wind.
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