Pueblo Tribe

Peublo Indian Dance

Pueblo Native American Indian Tribe - Ceremonial Dance

The Pueblo Tribe
Summary and Definition: The Pueblo tribe have an ancient heritage and are related to the Aztecs. The Pueblo tribe were farmers and herdsmen who lived in villages and known as a peace-loving people. The term 'Puebloans, derives from a Spanish word meaning "village dwellers". The Pueblo tribe are famous for their religious beliefs, culture and traditions and are strongly associated with Kachinas, Kivas, Sand paintings and the Soyal Solstice Ceremony.

Native American Indian Tribes
Site Index

Facts about the Pueblo Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Pueblo Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Pueblo tribe live, what clothes did they wear, what did they eat and who were the names of their most famous leaders? Discover what happened to the Pueblo tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Pueblo tribe?
The Pueblo tribe are an ancient race related to the Aztecs. Ancient Pueblo Petroglyphs (rock drawings, or stone carvings) can be found in Chaco Canyon, in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico and are a testament to their ancient civilization. The ancestral Puebloans were excellent stone masons who first lived in
Cliff Houses. They moved from these dwellings and began to build their houses beneath the overhanging cliffs. The Pueblo tribe are farmers and herdsmen who live in villages. They were also highly skilled in basket-work, weaving, pottery and carving. The Pueblo people are noted for their highly developed ceremonial customs and rituals, and their blankets and earthenware are decorated with religious symbolism.

 

Where did the Pueblo tribe live?
The Pueblo are people of the Southwest Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map.  The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Pueblo tribe.

  • They lived in the American southwest desert regions in the states of S Utah, S Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico

  • The Pueblo tribe is now confined to New Mexico and Arizona

  • Land: It was a dry, arid rocky land dotted with cactus

  • Climate: The climate was hot with little rain so crops required irrigation

  • Animals: The desert animals were reptiles and snakes. Livestock included sheep and goats and wild turkey

  • Crops: The crops grown in the area were corn, beans, sunflower seeds and squash

Map showing Native American Indians Cultural Groups

Map showing location of Southwest Native American Cultural Group

What did the Pueblo tribe live in?
The Pueblo tribe lived in in adobe houses, also known as pueblos, that were well suited to the warm dry climate in which they lived. The Adobe, or pueblo homes, were multi-story houses made of adobe (clay and straw baked into hard bricks). A feature of every village is the underground chamber used for tribal ceremonies called a Kiva. Many of the Pueblo villages were built on high table lands that were inaccessible except by steep trails.

What is a Kiva?
A Kiva is a special sacred building, usually built underground, that is used for spiritual ceremonies and religious rituals that are strongly associated with the Kachina belief system. Kivas were the sacred domain of the Pueblo men where they performed their secret rites. A kiva consisted of circular underground chambers entered through a hatchway on top.  Prayer Sticks, or 'Pahos', were prepared in the Kivas for calling forth spirits in the evocation of a prayer.

What language did the Pueblo tribe speak?
The Pueblo tribe spoke in the Uto-Aztecan (Numic) language.

What food did the Pueblo tribe eat?
The food that the Pueblo tribe ate included meat obtained by the men who hunted deer, small game and turkeys. As farmers the Pueblo Tribe produced crops of corn, beans, sunflower seeds and squash in terraced fields. Crops and meat were supplemented by nuts, berries and fruit including melons. The Pueblos then began to raise sheep and goats. The Pueblos often traded with their produce with other Native American Indians that lived in the Southwest.

What weapons did the Pueblo use?
The Atlatl was an ancient weapon that was by the Pueblo prior to the appearance of the bow and arrow. The Atlatl was a type of Spear thrower or 'throwing stick' used to propel spears or "darts". The tribe also used different kinds of knives and eventually the rife was introduced as a weapon.

What clothes did the Pueblo men wear?
The clothes worn by the men included breechcloths which were made from a long rectangular piece of animal skin or cloth which was worn between the legs and tucked over a belt. The main part of the men's early style of dress consists of a woollen blanket fastened with a belt around the waist and tied over the right shoulder, leaving the left shoulder and both arms bare. Tunics with a concho belt fastened around the waist. Woven garters of bright design were tied below the knee. The men wore cloaks or ponchos during the cold weather, often decorated with a butterfly design. The traditional headdress worn by the Hopi men were simple cloth or leather headbands and they wore moccasins made of soft leather on their feet. Peublo dancers sometimes wore painted masks or crowns of feathers as can be seen in the above picture.

What clothes did the Pueblo women wear?
The type of clothes worn by the women were knee-length cotton dresses called mantas which were fastened at a woman's right shoulder, leaving her left shoulder bare and tied around the waist with a belt. Hair was kept long and worn in a traditional hair knot called a Hömsoma which was wrapped in white yarn. Like all women they liked jewelry and wore Turquoise jewelry and silver ornaments.

What was the religion and beliefs of the Pueblo tribe?
The religion and beliefs of the Pueblo tribe was based on Animism that encompassed the spiritual or religious idea that the universe and all natural objects animals, plants, trees, rivers, mountains rocks etc have souls or spirits. The tribe totems of the Pueblo tribe were the mountain lion, humming bird, blue bird, gopher and the boulder goose. The Avanyu is a snake-like reptile deity that figures in the mythology of the Pueblo tribe.  The Avanyu represented a storm bringer and was connected with lightning, thunderstorms and was revered as the guardian of water. The butterfly played an important part in their Creation myth. The Pueblos tribe believed that the Creator took the most beautiful colors of all living things and placed them into a magical bag. When it was opened beautiful colored butterflies flew out singing but the song birds were so jealous that the Creator took away the ability of the butterfly to sing. The Pueblo Indians in Arizona also practised the fleeka, or arrow-dance.

  • Kachinas are deified ancestral spirits of the Pueblo people and spirits of natural phenomena. The term Kachina is also applied to a masked dancer believed to embody a particular spirit during a religious ceremony or ritual 

Who were the most famous leaders and chiefs of the Pueblo tribe?
The most famous leaders and chiefs of the Pueblo tribe included Popé, Cacique, Jiconella Elk Mountain, Mountain Lake, and Santiago Naranjo.

Pueblo Tribe History: What happened to the Pueblo tribe?
The majority of the Pueblo tribe now live in New Mexico and Arizona. Their peaceful life began to change in 1540 with the arrival in their lands by the Spanish including Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and Father Marcos de Niza. In 1542 they made a successful revolt, but in 1586 they had again to submit to the Spanish conquerors who began to establish missions in Pueblo territory. A great Peublo leader emerged called Popé who led a coalition of the Pueblo, Zuni, and Hopi people against the Spanish. The Pueblo Revolt (1680-1692), located in New Mexico and Arizona was a huge victory for the Pueblos but the Spanish eventually re-conquered the lands in 1692. The resourceful and resilient Pueblo tribe were never forced to leave their homeland and still live and maintain their ancient culture.

Pueblo Tribe

  • Interesting Facts and information about the way the Pueblo lived
  • The clothes worn by men and women
  • Description of the homes and the type of food the people would eat
  • Fast Facts about the Pueblo tribe
  • Names of famous chiefs and leaders
  • Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Native American Pueblo Indians

Pictures and Videos of Native American Indians and their Tribes
The Pueblo Tribe was one of the most famous tribes of Native American Indians. Discover the vast selection of pictures on the subject of the tribes of Famous Native Americans such as the Pueblo nation. The pictures show the clothing, war paint, weapons and decorations of various Native Indian tribes, such as the Pueblo tribe, that can be used as a really useful educational resource for kids and children of all ages. We hope you enjoy watching the video - just click and play - a great social studies homework resource for kids .

 
 

Pueblo Tribe - Kids - Cool, Fun Facts - Clothes - Clothing - Dresses - Headdresses - Famous Chiefs and Leaders - Pueblo Tribe - Homes - Lives - Weapons - Legends - Food - Location - History - Legends - Kids - Info - Information - Famous - Kids - Pueblo Tribe - Children - Warriors - Chiefs - Teaching resource - Social Studies - Lifestyle - Culture - Teachers - Pueblo Tribe - Facts - Pueblo - Kids - Interesting Facts - Info - Information - Pueblo Tribe - Pictures - Reference - Guide - Studies - Homework - Pueblo Facts

ⓒ 2017 Siteseen LimitedFirst Published Cookies PolicyAuthor
Updated 2018-01-16Publisher Siteseen Limited Privacy Statement