Great Cultural Treasures

The Southwest is a very attractive place. The country is rich with cultural interest. The weather is good, but there is no rain, and it is covered by mountains and desert. The tribes represented in the state consist of mostly Pueblo Indians. In addition, the Spanish, Mexican and Native American cultures are interesting. The Pueblo Indian culture is especially interesting and unbelievable for us.

First, Native Americans used to live in “kivas” These were underground houses and they often held religious meetings there. For example, they exchanged cultural information and did secret practices in the kivas. Even today, Pueblo culture has a lot of interesting rules, so women can’t enter the kivas, and men must speak old languages in the kivas. When the women want men to come out from the kivas, women use a special hole and scream his native name.

Kivas have a special white ladder which is the symbol of clouds. The top is shaped like a pencil, and it means rain. The Southwest is a very dry place in the US; therefore, rain is the most important natural resource. The water system has three purposes. First, it is used for house work, and then for wiping floors, and last for horses.

Native Americans have a lot of traditional dances, which is one of their ways to communicate. Their dances are very historical and have meaning. They danced when they needed water, and also at the ceremony about corn and other foods at the fiesta. They show the original dances in the Plaza because it is the center of town and also the most important place for them. Pueblo Indians live in small communities, so they connect strongly. For example, they have a clan system even now. This clan system is a kind of family group such as bear, eagle, pumpkin, sun, or sky. In the past, the Acoma Pueblo Indians had 21 clans, but now there are only 14 clans because of the Pueblo revolt.

In the Acoma Pueblo, women are stronger than men. This system is called a matriarchal society. For example, now it is okay in the Acoma Pueblo society to marry a person who is not Acoma. However, if a man from the Acoma Pueblo marries a woman who is not, their children can’t join the secret ceremony in the Plaza on the special day. However, if a woman from the Acoma Pueblo intermarries, the children would be allowed to join the secret ceremony. It was interesting for me. In Acoma Pueblo, women's rights were stronger than men's.

Pueblo people have a lot of interesting rules and culture, but recently it has been gradually disappearing because of the changing generation. However, we should not lose it and in order to keep the culture, they should share their culture and history. It is the most efficient way to keep their traditional culture.