Laguna Pueblo

Laguna Pueblo
Name	Laguna Pueblo
Native name	Kawaika
Settlement type	Pueblo
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	New Mexico
Population total	6,000 (approx.)
Coordinates	35°N 107°W

Laguna Pueblo is a federally recognized Native American community of the Kawaika subgroup located in west-central New Mexico. The people maintain traditional ties to a series of mesas and villages near the Rio San Jose and along historic routes connecting the Pueblo Revolt era settlements with later Spanish colonization of the Americas and Mexican–American War era transformations. Laguna people sustain cultural, economic, and political institutions that interact with the United States federal system, the State of New Mexico, and neighboring Indigenous nations such as the Acoma Pueblo and the Hopi Tribe.

History

The Laguna people trace ancestral occupation to the Keresan-speaking pueblos documented by early Spanish Empire explorers, missionaries, and colonial administrators during the 16th and 17th centuries, including accounts by figures tied to the Juan de Oñate expeditions and the mission system established by Franciscan friars. Laguna settlements were involved in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt and the subsequent reassertion of colonial control during the 1690s, events that also affected neighboring communities like Zuni Pueblo and Taos Pueblo. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, Laguna interacted with the Mexican–American War, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and later policies under the Bureau of Indian Affairs and federal legislation such as the Indian Reorganization Act and allotment-era statutes. 20th-century developments included infrastructure projects like those promoted under the New Deal and federal court decisions addressing land, water, and mineral rights involving parties such as the United States Supreme Court and regional judiciaries.

Geography and Communities

The Laguna homeland centers on a chain of mesas west of Albuquerque in Cibola County, with communities traditionally clustered at places now known as the Seven Cities of the Lakes and modern villages including Paguate, Laguna, Paraje, Mesita, Ramah, and Seama. The landscape includes high desert, arable river terraces along the Rio San Jose, and deposits of sandstone and sandstone-capped mesas that influence settlement patterns akin to those at Acoma Pueblo. Climate and resource issues are shaped by regional watersheds connected to the Rio Grande basin and by federal projects such as those implemented by the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Culture and Language

Laguna people speak the Western Keresan variety of the Keres language, a linguistic family shared with other Keres pueblos including Acoma and Santa Ana Pueblo. Ceremonial life features traditional practices tied to kiva structures, potting and ceramic traditions similar to those documented at Mata Ortiz and in collections at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the New Mexico Museum of Art. Laguna pottery styles, dance regalia, and oral histories interweave with pan-Pueblo traditions observed at events such as the Pueblo Feast Days and regional intertribal gatherings involving groups like the Zia Pueblo and Isleta Pueblo.

Government and Sovereignty

The community maintains a tribal council and constitution formulated to operate within frameworks influenced by the Indian Reorganization Act while engaging with entities such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and federal agencies. Laguna asserts sovereign authority over its lands and resources under precedents set by litigation and legislation affecting other tribes, including matters litigated before the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and the United States Supreme Court. Intergovernmental relations extend to compacts and agreements with the State of New Mexico, municipal governments of Grants, New Mexico and Bernalillo County, and regional organizations addressing indigenous rights like the National Congress of American Indians.

Economy and Land Use

Economic activities include traditional agriculture on irrigated terraces, livestock husbandry, and contemporary enterprises such as tribal enterprises, retail, and energy development involving mineral leases similar to arrangements seen with Peabody Energy-type coal leases and oil industry contracts. Land and resource management considers grazing permits, archeological site stewardship coordinated with the National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation Office, and economic diversification through tourism linked to cultural sites and craft markets comparable to those in Santa Fe and Taos. Economic planning also navigates federal funding streams from agencies like the Department of the Interior and programs administered by the Indian Health Service.

Education and Health

Educational systems incorporate tribal schools, public schools in districts such as the Grants-Cibola County School District, and partnerships with higher-education institutions including University of New Mexico and tribal colleges supported by the Bureau of Indian Education. Health services are delivered through tribally managed clinics and programs funded by the Indian Health Service and coordinated efforts addressing public health outcomes similar to initiatives by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and regional medical centers like Presbyterian Healthcare Services. Cultural preservation programs support Keres language instruction and cultural curricula modeled on efforts in other Indigenous communities such as Navajo Nation language revitalization projects.

Notable People and Contemporary Issues

Prominent Laguna figures include artists, potters, and leaders who have engaged with museums such as the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture and national forums including the National Endowment for the Arts. Contemporary issues include water rights litigation paralleling cases like Arizona v. California, debates over energy development and environmental stewardship tied to regional activism similar to movements addressing Navajo Generating Station impacts, and efforts to revitalize Keres language and cultural practices in collaboration with institutions such as the National Park Service and academic centers at the School for Advanced Research. Ongoing community planning involves balancing cultural preservation with economic development, infrastructure projects, and intergovernmental negotiations with federal and state authorities.

Category:Pueblo peoples