ancient ones

What 2-3 components of Anasazi and traditional Pueblo culture do you find most fascinating? Describe these.

One of the things I find amazing from the ancient Indian cultures is that they built their homes in a variety of styles.  One tribe might camp near a river in order to have fresh water and their homes would be constructed out of portable materials as they had to move during the hunting season.  The home would consist of animal hides and large pine poles. 

Another fascinating aspect of the early Native American Indians is their use of the land to protect them from the elements of nature and enemy tribes.  Some of the largest cliff dwellings are located in New Mexico and Colorado.  The Gila Cliff Dwellings in the Black Range Forrest in Southwestern New Mexico housed the Anasazi tribe up in the high canyon walls.  The rooms would be connected together through small holes in which they crawled through. 

·       In what ways did Pueblo culture differ from that of their European colonizers?

Pueblo people lived within the same homes through different generations.  Children would care for their elders and the tribe as a whole would work together to raise their young.  The European colonies would house individual families.  Children would move out of the family home when they were old enough to marry. 

Clothing would also differ in materials due to the elements of nature.  Indians would use fur from animals that they would kill for a thick layer of protection.  In the summers they would wear very little clothes so they would be agile when hunting or riding horses.  The Europeans housing was much more efficient as it was well insulated.  Their clothing was worn based on the comfort of the material used and the specific social economical class.

     The materials used in the making clay pots for the Mississippian and Anasazi tribes were found in the natural elements all around them.  The Mississippian culture used a wooden paddle carved with intricate geometric designs to embed the image in the soft clay.  The Anasazi did not engrave their pots as the Mississippian culture did.  They made a dye out of plant materials that were painted on the surface of the pot.  Colors varied as to the plants and berries in the surrounding area.