"Zuni"

Not sure why last week's entry didn't keep my paragraphs separate. So here I go again and hope for the best. Soon I'll drop Blogspot and go to my own Web Page. That way my post will belong truly to me. And hopefully I won't lose some of my entries. I've written many "Times" about the Zuni in my blogs. Today will be more of a history of the Zuni. What is known of there beginnings too current "Times". Here are some links to Zuni items I've recorded. 'Deer Dance' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XossBRa2Qw 'Pottery Dance' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y56phoXqDPw 'Emergence Story' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODpeCAJN1XY Zuni is pronounced ZOO-nee or Zoo-nyee. It is the name of the people and there villages. The Zuni's first home were 7 pueblos on the Zuni River, of New Mexico. The Zuni reservation is about 60 miles south of Gallup New Mexico. On the border of Arizona. And they also have farm lands in other area of New Mexico. The Zuni language is not like other Indian tribes of the area. It is believed it is a combination of two different dialects. The Zuni like there close cousins the Hopi. Lived in pueblos, or kivas, inter-connected. Which were made of stone and plaster. This offered them protection from the elements and there enemies. Who were mainly the Navajo and Apache. And of course later on the Spaniards. The Zuni were known as a passive peoples. Who mainly farmed, hunted and gathered seeds and fruits. From local plants. This life style enabled them to be stationary. And not have to migrate around. Like so many tribes of North America. They raised the same crops as other southwest tribes. And also traded with tribes in the area. There are many ancient trails that connected with other tribes. Some of these trail-ways. Would later become migration routes. For White settlers from the east. The most famous would have been the Santa Fe Trail. The Zuni like there Hopi brothers to the west. Also Incorporated Kachinas into the spiritual ways. The Zuni believed the Kachinas were. Benevolent spirit guardians, who protected them. The Zuni like the Hopi. Believe they also emerged from the Grand Canyon. And that they came up from inside the Earth. From four different levels. The term 'Seven Cities of Cibola'. Came from the Spaniards. Who saw the pueblos from a distance. As they shimmered a golden color. Which was cause by the glow of the brown or reddish structures. In 1539 a Spaniard Franciscan Monk, named Frey Marcos de Niza. (He also showed up in Arizona.) Head out with a contengency of soldiers. To find the seven Cities of Cibola. He later claimed he found the Cibola. When he returned to Mexico. So the following year of his return. Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, went looking for Cibola. Coronado would defeat the Zunis. Only to find that the streets were not lined with gold and jewels. What he found was the reddish pueblos, made of stone and plaster. Other Spaniards would follow Coronado north. Into the Zuni lands. They would establish missions. And try to enslave the Zuni people. And they would attempt to covert the Zuni into Christians. Francisco Chamuscado in 1580, Antonio de Espejo in 1583 and Juan de Onate in 1598. In 1629 the first Catholic mission was built in Hawikuh. In 1632 the Zuni attacked the mission and killed the missionaries. In the 1680s the Zuni joined other southwest tribes. In what would later be called the, 'Pueblo Rebellion'. The Zuni from three different pueblos gathered at Corn Mountain. To defend themselves from the Spaniards. The Spaniards were led by Don Diego de Vargas. A negotiated deal was made. And the Zunis returned to there pueblos. A mission was built in 1699. Only to be abandoned. Because the Spaniards could not convert the Zuni to Christianity. Something I learned when writing about the Apaches of Arizona. The Zuni were used as U.S. Calvary scouts. They are the ones who led the U.S. Calvary to the strongholds. Of many Apache leaders. Today the Zuni are known world wide. For there jewelry, pottery, baskets and stone fetishes. Each summer they do a festival in Flagstaff Arizona. At the Museum of Northern Arizona. The festival is on May 28 and 29. You can also visit the main Zuni village in Zuni New Mexico. That has a festival known as 'Shalako'. That observes the winter solstice. I'll be back to the Flagstaff show in May. With my new camera equipment. Last year only the sound were recorded. As the new camera I had, malfunctioned. This "Time" I'll record and video. The Zuni Dancers and artist. It will be recorded inH.D. with Dolby sound. That I'll post on You Tube. "God" bless bye