Zuni

Member of an American Indian people living in New Mexico since AD 600. They speak Zuni (Shiwi), a unique language, and are probably descendants of the prehistoric Anasazi. One of the agricultural Pueblo Indian peoples, they lived in seven towns described by the Spanish as the golden ‘Kingdom of Cibola’ in 1539, but merged into one after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Zuni have retained much of their culture and are a deeply religious people, intermingling Catholicism and traditional belief in kachina (or koko) spirits and gods. Art is highly regarded, and exquisite silver-and-turquoise jewellery, baskets, and pottery are produced. The Zuni number some 6,400 (2000).

The Zuni used a variety of irrigation techniques to grow maize, beans, squash, and melons in the arid southeast. They lived in flat-topped stone and adobe (sun-dried mud-brick) dwellings. Zuni society had a hierarchy of four levels and was organized into 13 matrilineal clans (membership passing through the female line). The rain priests had the highest social ranking. Women own all property and are responsible for financial issues, including trading. The Zuni observe an annual cycle of religious and social ceremonies. The Sun Father is the most important deity, along with the Earth Mother and Moonlight-Giving Mother. The kachina (or koko) spirits live in the mountains and lakes and often visit the Zuni as clouds. All Zuni men belong to a kachina society with a particular function, and they represent the kachina in ceremonial dances. Sacred objects include kachina masks, effigies, and dolls. Zuni pottery has a fine polished surface and is decorated with symbolic designs using a yucca brush. Silverworking was adopted from the Spanish and Mexicans. Their crafts are important sources of income today.

The Spanish explorer Cabeza da Vaca described the Zuni in 1539, writing glowing accounts of their towns, which he named the ‘Kingdom of Cibola’. In 1540 the Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado returned to conquer the Zuni. After the revolt of 1680, the Spanish concentrated the Zuni population into one multistorey pueblo.