The Zuni Tribe is known for their successful agriculture
economy due to the location of their villages. The villages were near
fertile ground, allowing the Zuni people to take advantage of the water
resources. The tribe has been planting at the Zuni River Valley for
thousands of years. The Zuni people grew mostly corn, beans, squash, as
well as cotton and tobacco. Once the Spanish settlers arrived, the Zuni
Tribe were introduced to new crops, such as wheat and peaches.
In the tribes, men were typically in charge of agriculture,
while women were in charge of the home and the family. Although the men
were in charge, women usually helped by gathering nuts, fruits, and different
types of herbs. It may sound easy, but at times, gathering requires
special tools and training because it can be extremely complicated.
As a little background, there is one Zuni creation myth that
says "agriculture was given to humanity by the sons of the sun who lead
the people from the darkness underneath the earth to the surface."
Along with other Pueblo people, the Zuni used agriculture to create a
stable culture, in which they do not have to roam around like nomads.
The Zuni Tribe is considered to be very religious, and because
of this, chiefs perform while the shamans pray to the gods for rain in order to
have fertile soil. Rain is considered to be very sacred to the Zuni
people. In a festival called Shalako, dancers decorate themselves to
portray the "couriers of the rain" and bless new homes. With
this in mind, many Zuni people have also raised livestock. They have a
belief that if they treat the animals with respect, the animals will share
their power with them. For example, bears have the power of health and
strength, ram with posterity, and buffalo with abundance.
Native Languages. 2015. "Zuni Indian Fact
Sheet." Retrieved October 27 2015. (http://www.bigorrin.org/zuni_kids.htm).
Zuni Indians. 2015. "Zuni Culture." Retrieved October
26 2015. (http://www.zuniindian.net/zuni-culture/).
Muscato, Christopher. 2015. "Zuni Tribe:
Facts, History, & Culture." Retrieved October 27 2015.
(http://study.com/academy/lesson/zuni-tribe-facts-history-culture.html).
Weiser, Kathy. August 2014. "The Zuni - A Mysterious
People." LegendsofAmerica.com. Retrieved October 27 2015. (http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-zuni.html).
I think it was smart of the Zuni Tribe to take advantage of their resources and surroundings to make a permanent living condition. Plenty of Native American tribes roam around the Americas to survive. I find it very interesting that even when it comes to agriculture, they are still very religious. It's one thing to pray before and after you eat, but it's another to do it while raising crops and livestock. Props to them for sticking to their tradition, despite living in a very modern country.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't like the idea that one specific gender is "in charge" of agriculture, or any types of lifestyle. I strongly believe that women, and other genders, should be able to do what they want. For example, if a woman wanted to go hunting, then she should; if a man, wanted to stay home, then good for him. Jobs shouldn't be assigned to a specific gender.
I mentioned that Spanish settlers introduced new crops to the Zuni people. They also introduced diseases. Though this caused a massive decline in the Zuni population, they were still able to survive until today. I can now understand why the Zuni Tribe choose to live in isolation from the outside world. They welcomed and showed nothing but kindness, but in return, they were betrayed and murdered.
Dear Issa, your comment makes a lot of sense, and I totally agree with your opinion. However, there is no reflexivity here. Remember, reflexivity in the sense we are discussing it in this class involves, not a "reflection," (which is what you did), but including yourself in this whole picture, your positionality (in term of the power you have/not have in this context (situationality) -- based on who you are (ethnicity, gender, nationality, education, marriage status, and all those things we consider variables) and place you somewhere in society; and finally, all this involves your biography (something from your life that relates to all this. Thank you because you are a very dedicated student and you are doing a magnificent job here in our course. I do appreciate it Issa. Email me if you have questions about it, and if you repost, and delete this comment once you address these comments/feedback.
ReplyDeleteDear Issa,
ReplyDeleteRemember to add your reflexive comment. I am grading these posts since yesterday, and I was double-checking here. Thanks
Growing up from a religious family, I thought the creation myth about agriculture being given by the suns was very similar to what I was enculturated in, which was everything is a blessing from God. Also, when the shamans pray to the gods, it is like sitting at our family dining table and thanking God for the food that He had provided me and my family.
ReplyDeleteThe Zunis were very big on agriculture. Their lives were basically based on it. What a lot of people may not know, I came from an agricultural background. In the Philippines, my mom's side of the family owned a farm in a small province. I grew up surrounded with chickens and pigs. We also used to own a water buffalo, but now we just own a horse. I used to go with my uncles sometimes to get fresh tropical fruits. Like the Zunis, of course we appreciated rain, but it was the Philippines so it rained all the time.
I find it interesting that they had a festival, Shalako, which was also similar to a festival that we held in our town called Pahiyas. Every year around the middle of May, the whole town would celebrate St. Isidore, who was the patron saint for farming. Everyone would decorate the exterior of their homes with colorful agricultural goods and there would be a parade of Higantes, which were paper mache imitations of different farmers, water buffalos, and people in masks and costumes. My family always participate with the house decorations, and the festival itself since my grandfather was a hard working farmer, and that was one of the ways we would show our appreciation.