Subject: warrior
Culture: Pueblo Indian
Setting: Pueblo Revolt, New Mexico 1680-1692
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
* Indian Pueblo Cultural Center online > A brief history of the Pueblo Revolt
"The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was a revolution against Spanish religious, economic, and political institutions imposed upon the Pueblos. It is the only successful Native uprising against a colonizing power in North America.
"In the 1670s, the Spanish governor of New Mexico ordered several Pueblo holy men executed, and many others publicly whipped. Po’Pay, a holy man and War Captain of Ohkay Owingeh, was one of the men whipped in Santa Fe, an experience that hardened his resolve to drive the Spanish from New Mexico. In the face of turmoil, suffering from prolonged drought, and fearing the complete loss of our culture, the Pueblo people resorted to armed resistance.
"Po’pay of Ohkay Owingeh (formerly referred to as San Juan Pueblo) organized and led the revolt. A date for collective rebellion was set, and runners were sent to all the Pueblos carrying knotted cords which represented the number of days until the day of uprising. Each morning, the Pueblo leadership untied one knot from the cord, and when the last knot was untied, it was the signal for them to act in unison.
"The successful revolt kept the Spanish out of New Mexico for 12 years, and established a different power dynamic upon their return. The Pueblo Revolt holds great historical significance because it helped ensure the survival of Pueblo cultural traditions, lands, languages, religions, and sovereignty."
Archery
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Shield
* Wright 1975 p1
"The concept of a defensive, hand-held circular shield is old in the Southwest. This is evidenced by the presence of rock art and mural paintings showing shields, as well as by the survival of prehistoric and historic specimens. In addition to proof of age, mural paintings on excavated kiva walls also depict the different shapes of shields as well as methods of carrying them.
"The arrival of the Spanish undoubtedly brought additional shapes and new methods of manufacture to Southwest shields but there was no radical departure from the original native concept. Occasionally Spanish shields were changed to fit native concepts, and Spanish methods of manufacture may have been adopted for the construction of some local shields. When methods of warfare changed with the advent of firearms, the shield did not pass from existence. Rather it continued to be made by the Indians but with greater emphasis placed on its secondary aspect, the ceremonial."
* Wright 1975 p6
"It is extremely unlikely that ... basketry shields would have deflected or stopped an arrow or lance. Since lances have never been found in archaeological context in the Southwest, they were probably not a factor in the use of a basketry shield. Native archers, on the other hand, who had little difficulty in penetrating the chain mail of the Spanish or the padded fiber armor of the mestizo warriors, would have had no difficulty in penetrating the half inch of willow rods. Judd believed on the basis of his excavations that arrows, clubs and thrown rocks were the most common implements of warfare in the Southwest. It seems logical to assume that basketry shields were used for cushioning the fracturing blows of clubs or thrown rocks rather than defense against arrows." [references omitted]
Costume
* Fashion, costume, and culture volume 2 2004 p363
"The Pueblos of the Southwest wore beautifully embroidered breechclouts made of tanned leather or woven cotton."
* Paterek 1994 p
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