Lesson 17: Indigenous Legacies PDF

The Legacy of Ancient Southwestern Cultures People Crops and Food Architecture and Art Support for European and American Colonization Contemporary Culture and Life in the Southwest Epilogue and Farewell This lesson summarizes some of the lasting contributions of the ancient cultures of the Southwest...

The Legacy of Ancient Southwestern Cultures People Crops and Food Architecture and Art Support for European and American Colonization Contemporary Culture and Life in the Southwest Epilogue and Farewell This lesson summarizes some of the lasting contributions of the ancient cultures of the Southwest to modern life. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It is meant merely to stimulate thinking about connections between the past and present, and how the past is indeed present around us today. Did it matter that people lived in the past? Do the lives on ancient people touch us today? To me, the answer to both questions is a resounding “yes.” People People are the first and most important legacy of the ancient cultures of the Southwest. All contemporary Native American groups in the Southwest have connections with ancient cultures, either through direct descent or religious values that recognize the sacred nature of ancient lives and places. In American popular culture, the abandonment of ancient sites and regions is often presented as a great mystery. The mystery of the disappearing “Anasazi” is featured in everything from archaeological parks to interpretive books sold in U.S. National Parks. Yet there is in fact no “mystery” to the cultural changes evident in the archaeological record, including regional abandonments. The Anasazi did not disappear, nor did the Hohokam, the Mogollon, the Salado, the Sinagua, the people of Chaco, and many more ancient cultures. They simply moved, adapted, and changed as they chose or needed to – they did not “disappear.” True, there were major upheavals, environmental catastrophes, demographic crashes, and decomposition of once complex cultural systems. But the thread of continuity between the past and the present was never broken. Descendants of the ancient ones are here today, alive and well, living throughout the Southwest. Modern Native Americans in the Southwest belong to more than 50 Federally recognized Indian tribes and number more than 500,000 people. Quite a legacy, indeed. For more information on the Indian tribes of the Southwest, see: http://ag.arizona.edu/edrp/tribes.html (information on Indian tribes in Arizona) http://www.kstrom.net/isk/maps/nm/nmmap.html (information on the Indian tribes of New Mexico) Crops and Food Native American contributions to the world’s food supply are legion. Maize is one of the world’s most important food crops, providing everything from protein to starch to oils. Check the labels of the foods that you eat and you will likely find that maize (corn) is a major ingredient. Southwestern crops, passed along since ancient times, constitute a major source of genetic diversity and a hedge against catastrophic crop failures due to disease or genetic mutation. Each year the U.S. Department of Agriculture grows varieties of Native Southwestern crops to provide a genetic bank that can be called upon to improve or, if needed, rescue foods that make up an important part of the world’s food supply. The thousands of years of Native American selective breeding of maize, beans, squash, and cotton serve us well today in the form of genetic insurance. The list of Southwestern Native foods that we enjoy today is very long and distinguished. Among the varieties of Native crops that we eat on a regular or occasional basis are dozens of types of corn (sweet corn, blue corn, hominy, masa for Tamales, etc.); beans of a dazzling variety of types (pinto beans, tepary beans, lima beans); and squash (including pumpkins). Tobacco, cotton, various types of chiles, and chocolate are also important contributions from the Southwest and greater Mesoamerican regions. Methods of food preparation also come down to us through time. Mexican cuisine would not exist without the tortilla, a form of processing corn that dates to the late 1200s if not earlier. A statement on the significance of Native American crops to the world’s food supply and diversity of cuisine is provided by Nelson Foster and Linda Cordell in their book, “Chilies to Chocolate: Food the Americas Gave the World” (pp. xiii-xiv): However erratic and inexplicable the process … New World crops radically transformed Old World eating. That juicy American berry the tomato brought new life to Italian food. Potatoes came to dominate the fields of Ireland, first to the delight of its people, later to their sorrow. They also occupied a prominent place on the tables of England, France, and northern Italy. Koreans, Chinese, East Indians, and Hungarians welcomed hot chili peppers into the very heart of their national cuisines. Corn found favor widely and in many forms – eaten straight off the ear, ground for mush, baked into breads, even miniaturized to suit Chinese tastes. Peanuts took root in Southeast Asian cuisine, emerging in Thai and Vietnamese dishes and blending with chili peppers to yield the illustrious Indonesian gado-gado sauce. The bitter cacao bean won devotees around the world in its refined form, as chocolate. …Throughout the hemisphere, land too poor in soil, too high, too dry, too wet, too cold, or too hilly to support the Old World cereal grains of wheat, rice, barley, and rye has been successfully planted in the American staples of potatoes, maize, sweet potatoes, and manioc. Potatoes and maize now rank with wheat and rice as the world’s four principal crops, while sweet potatoes and manioc (also known as cassava) serve as dietary mainstays for peoples of many nations, especially in the tropics and subtropics of Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific. Thus crops of American origin sustain a large proportion of the Earth’s present population. Old World staples – wheat, barley, rice, soybeans, and so forth – have come to the New World Too, contributing substantially to the food supply. But as Alfred Crosby concludes in his landmark book The Columbian Exchange, the fact that American crops thrived in adverse conditions gave them a critical role in the world population boom of the past two centuries; such a boom probably could not have occurred without them. Architecture and Art Art and architecture from ancient times greatly enrich the Southwest today. Some of the most widespread architectural forms, such as Santa Fe Style pueblos and adobe structures, are inspired by ancient architectural designs. Even European-derived styles, such as the "Spanish Mission" style of architecture, owes a great deal to the prehistoric pueblo style. The use by the Spanish of adobe, "vigas" (major roof beams) and "latillas" (smaller roof beams), the open courtyard, and the wall-enclosed compound have their roots in prehistoric architecture. Ancient artistic influences on modern Southwestern life are almost too numerous to mention. Regional traditions of pottery, weaving, and jewelry are all heavily influenced by the design repertoires and technological traditions of the ancient Southwestern past. To name a specific example, the detailed and whimsical style of ancient Mimbres potters is widely imitated and widely copied in contemporary Southwestern arts and crafts. Archaeologist Paul Martin once described the designs on Mimbres Pottery as embodying "the expression of the sheer ecstasy of living." These designs, crafted a thousand years ago, are in a class by themselves. They continue to inspire and enchant artists and craftspeople across the Southwest, and they provide one of the many visual experiences that contribute to the Southwest’s very strong sense of place. Support for European and American Colonization For better or worse, ancient Native Americans and their descendants in the Southwest were instrumental in assuring the success of Spanish, Mexican, and American colonization of the region. In the beginning, Spanish colonization of the Southwest was abetted by American Indian guides and labor. A price was paid in blood, sweat, and death to aid Europeans in the expansion of their empires. Coronado, Onate, and subsequent Spanish colonizers never could have established outposts of northern New Spain without the contributions of food and labor made by Native Americans. The Pima of southern Arizona helped the U.S. Army in its military campaigns across southern Arizona by providing wheat, water, labor, scouts, and guides. The historical record is rich in examples of how Native Americans, from the threshold of history to the present day, have supported, assisted, enabled, and generously given to European, Mexican, and American immigrants. Contemporary Culture and Life in the Southwest Contemporary life is greatly enriched by the physical remains, intellectual traditions, artistic schools, and spiritual inspiration provided by the past. These gifts are received and appreciated by both Native Americans and more recent immigrants. Ancient archaeological sites in the Southwest are the material history of living Native Americans, providing evidence of past lives, migrations, accomplishments, struggles, failures, and triumphs. Ruins also have spiritual significance that transcends their informational value and they offer valuable lessons to contemporary Native people. National Park Service archaeologist Lyle Balenquah presents a point of view specifically from the perspective of the Hopi, but his general sentiment – that ancient ruins have meaning beyond their “scientific” information – would be shared by other tribes as well: In regards to the pueblos themselves, the Hopi people do not consider these places to have been simply abandoned and forgotten as viewed by some past and present archeologists. Nor do they believe that their reasons for leaving are simply because of natural changes in climate and surrounding environments. The natural changes that forced Hopi clans to migrate on, were not only prophesized and expected signals, but in some instances were also caused by the human failures to lead morally responsible lives. These failures led to corrupt and impure ways of life that created an imbalance between the physical and spiritual worlds, ultimately resulting in social and environmental catastrophes. Thus, Hopi belief states that these places were purposely left for a much larger reason, one that involves fulfillment of traditional prophecy, and obligations to uphold their responsibilities as “caretakers” of the land now found in the Southwest. As proof that the Hopi clans faithfully followed their predestined migrations, they left behind their “footprints”, tangible evidence in the form of ceramics, textiles, lithic material and architecture. These materials were left behind not only to prove Hopi migrations, but also in payment for their services and therefore, were left to return to a natural state. Also, Hopi people believe that their ancestors, who lived, died, and were buried at these places, purposely remain as spiritual stewards of the land, continuing to “watch over” these pueblos long after their physical presence is gone. Ancient Southwestern ruins are also a major attraction for cultural tourists who visit the Southwest from all regions of the earth, and they are an exceptionally significant part of the regional economy. Visitation of ruins ranks highly as a major reason why tourists choose the Southwest as a destination. This is especially true with Europeans and Japanese tourists. In the multi-billion dollar tourist industry of the Southwest, ruins are a major factor. In the American Southwest there are hundreds of archaeological attractions visited by millions of people each year. Many are developed in the form of National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Landmarks, State Parks, and County and City Parks. A partial list, containing only some of the most prominent and heavily visited places, is given below, by state. Arizona: Besh Ba Gowah Archaeological Park (City of Globe) Canyon de Chelly National Park Casa Malpais Ruins (City of Springerville) Catalina State Park Casa Grande National Monument Elden Pueblo Ruins (Coconino National Forest) Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Grand Canyon National Park Homolovi Ruins State Park Honanki Ruins (Coconino National Forest) Hubbell Trading Post National Monument Kinishba Ruins (Apache Reservation) Montezuma Castle National Monument Montezuma Well National Monument Navajo National Monument Palatki Ruins (Coconino National Forest) Park of the Canals City Park (City of Mesa) Petrified Forest National Park Pueblo Grande Ruins (City of Phoenix) Saguaro National Park Tonto Cliff Dwellings National Monument Tumacacori National Monument Tuzigoot National Monument V-Bar-V Petroglyph site (Coconino National Forest) Walnut Canyon National Monument Wupatki National Monument Colorado Canyon of the Ancients National Monument Escalante Ruins (Anasazi Heritage Center, Bureau of Land Management) Lowry Ruins (Bureau of Land Management) Mesa Verde National Park New Mexico: Aztec Ruins National Monument Chaco Culture National Historic Park El Morro National Monument Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument Kuaua State Park Pecos National Monument Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument Salmon Ruins (County Park) Utah: Arches National Monument Bridges National Monument Hovenweep National Monument Canyonlands National Monument Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Edge of the Cedars Museum and Ruins Moon House Cliff Dwellings (Bureau of Land Management) River House (Bureau of Land Management) Sand Island Petroglyphs (Bureau of Land Management) Southwestern archaeological places and ancient stories and traditions also enrich our landscapes and senses of place with their contributions to place names, local history, and language. Throughout the Southwest there is an abundance of Native American names and the region is rich with references to prehistoric peoples or events. For example: The modern city of Tucson derives its name from an ancient Pima term, “Shuk son," translated as “at the foot of black," the “black” referring to the ancient trincheras site of Tumamoc Hill. The modern city of Phoenix is named in reference to the Hohokam culture. Modern Phoenix, like the mythical phoenix bird, was said to have “arisen from the ashes” of the Hohokam. There are literally thousands of place names and legends across the Southwest that make reference to ancient times, places, and events. Finally, though difficult to quantify or characterize, the ancient peoples of the Southwest have contributed enormously to modern philosophical and religious ideas, concepts, and systems. The spiritualism that pervades Native Southwestern culture, the sense of environmental stewardship, the concept of sacred landscapes and sacred places, all have come down to us through time. The Southwest and indeed the world itself would be poorer places without these legacies. Epilogue and Farewell Look around. The past is present. It lives today. I hope this course has given you a more informed perspective on the ancient Southwest, and I hope it inspires you throughout your life to seek greater understanding of this remarkable region and its extraordinary history and peoples. || top of page