Pueblo ethnoastronomy

Abstract

The homeland of the American Indian groups we call Pueblo is located in the high desert mesas of the Southwest United States, in the states of Arizona and New Mexico. It is a high desert land of snowand#x002D;capped mountains, colorful sandstone, ancient lava flows, crystalline skies, brilliant clouds, and wideand#x002D;open vistas. It is a region well suited for observing the sky and noting the motions of the celestial bodies above and against a sharply defined horizon. The name Pueblo Indians derives from the fact that historically, they have lived in relatively welland#x002D;defined, compact villages (pueblo from the Spanish word for village), originally constructed out of stone or adobe bricks. From the Hopi villages of northern Arizona and the Zuni people of western New Mexico to the eastern villages in central New Mexico along or near the Rio Grande, historically, all are agricultural societies, originally subsisting largely on the trio of corn (maize), beans, and squash, supplemented by wild game and greens. Although their languages fall into four different language groups and their villages are dispersed geographically over two US states, the Pueblo people share many traits in common, including following similar astronomical practices. The study of Puebloan knowledge and practice of astronomy essentially began in late nineteenth century when a small stream of ethnologists began to visit the Native American tribes of the Southwest United States to record their language, customs, myths, and rituals. As part of their studies, they also collected origin myths and information about how these Pueblo groups related to the sun, moon, and stars. Not only do these early studies provide insights into Puebloan thinking about observational practices and understanding of the celestial realm, they also reveal how the villages incorporated observations into their ceremonial practices and daily lives. Most of what we know about Pueblo astronomical practices come from the western Pueblos of Zuni and Hopi, which were relatively unaffected by European influence until the twentieth century. Spanish settlers near the eastern Pueblos, strongly aided by the Catholic Church, attempted to convert the Pueblo people to Catholicism, forcibly suppressed Native religious practices, and imposed a Western calendar. These practices led the Eastern Pueblos to close most access to esoteric, religiously related knowledge, including astronomy. Unlike Western astronomy, Puebloan practices are integrated deeply into their daily lives and religious ceremonies. Indeed, it is impossible to separate completely their awareness and participation in celestial cycles from mundane, daily activities. In traditional Pueblo thinking, Earth and sky are closely related and the two realms part of one creation. Activities in either realm can affect the other.