We're not even going to try to cover the different styles of architecture evolved by Native American peoples in the week we've got left. Instead, I'm just going to link to a few generalizations ... and then to some examples of especially distinctive styles of architecture. Today we'll look at some adaptations made to a desert environment in Arizona.
And, of course, I'll ask you a couple of questions. Post your answers as comments to this blogpost.
Generalization. MSN's online Encarta encyclopedia says this about Native architecture: "In traditional Native American culture, the dwelling was far more than a physical shelter or what Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier called 'a machine for living.' For many Native Americans the house was a physical and spiritual representation of the universe." That's true, and it's important. But there's an endless variety of ways the universe can be represented.
Here are a few:
In Arizona, the Hohokam people developed irrigated communities with cities on platform mounds. One, along Salt River just off the Hohokam Expressway ("the 143") in what is now Phoenix, Ariz., is called "Pueblo Grande" (which means big town in Spanish: We don't know what the Hohokam called it). But here's an artist's conception of what it looked like. It's on the title page of a book that tells, in a lot of detail, how the Hohokam adapted their agriculture to the Sonoran desert. Notice how green the picture is. That's how green it was back in the day. Really.
In 1998 a Science, Technology and Culture class at the University of Denver constructed a virtual Hohokam village that explains their farming, irrigation, housing, religion, crafts and recreation. (It's ingenious. Click on the irrigation canals, for example, to read about how they watered their crops.) The Hohokam vanished during the 1400s or 1500s and left no written records. So we don't know how they saw the universe. Study the virtual village, and give it your best guess. Based on what you've learned about them, how do you think they saw the universe?
(The Hohokam, by the way, gave their name to the baseball park in Mesa where the Chicago Cubs play during spring training. The name we use for them comes from the Tohono O'odham people, who may be descended from them, and it means "the old ones" or "the ones who are used up." Cubs fans will have to decide for themselves what to make of that fact.)
Another remarkable style of architecture emerged in the same part of the country when Spanish priests founded missions where they taught Christianity and European methods of cattle ranching to the indigenous people. The mission of San Xavier del Bac (pronounced "sahn hahv-i-yer") on the Tohono O'odham reservation near Tuscon is both a functioning Catholic parish and a monument of Spanish mission architecture. The official mission website tells the history of the mission, and of the Tohono people. Read especially how Native culture and Catholicism coexist today. There's a striking set of photographs by Helga Teiwes, with text by Bernard Fontana, that shows the outpouring of artistic and religious expression at San Xavier. Read about the mission, look at the pictures and answer the question: What does the mission art tell you about the way people at San Xavier see the universe?
15 comments:
It seems as though the Hohokam people saw the universe like many other Native American cultures. They treated the Earth with care and respect. They farmed the Earth in a way that provided food without doing harm to the land itself. The people also seemed to be easily influenced by Christianity, so it does not seem as though they had many religious beliefs. I think that if they were strongly rooted in religion then they would not have allowed for a Church to be built in their community.
By the looks of the Hohokam village, it looks like they respected and appreciated the land that they had. which was a very little amount. But they seemed to have made the best of it and taken care of the little that they had, making it as nice as they could. The people seem to see the universe as a sacred place, almost in a humanistic way. It is a place to be taken care of and treated in a well respected way to preserve it for future generations.
I believe they saw the universe as being created by the gods. they see the universe as a place in which they were a small part of and made a small contribution too. That is why they dedicated so much of there lives to nature.
2.The Indians looked like they were influence very easily. They did not want to give up there native gods, but once the men talked to them they were changed over to christianity.
The Hohokam people worshiped the Earth and respected it just as other tribes have done. They planted, hunted, and fished the Earth for food and water for their survival. There was a high influence of Christianity, other religious beliefs were scarce. If they did not like us white settlers why would tey partake in our religion if they acted like they didn't want to leave their many gods?
The Hohokam people saw the universe as like they see in nature around them. To me its like they see it as another spiritual place to be in and it is always going to be there like some of the other spirits around them. So in other words, i believe that they have the same thoughts as any other cultures. The mission people i believe have a more religious view on the universe, that they try to be as one with it and closer to it. They dont think in terms of nature all too much but more as a modern religious view as we do today.
I think that the Hohokam were very religious. I think they saw the universe as a holy being and that through prayer and faith, they would survive living in the desert. In one version of the history of irrigation, they relied on medicine men to cause the water to flow into the canals they had built for irrigation, drinking, cooking, pottery-making, etc. I think they had a very appreciative view of the universe.
The mission art tells us that the people see their universe as precious. They don’t want to live in contrast to the holy beings, so they are doing everything they can to keep the importance of their believing universe alive.
The way the Hohokam people altered their land and surroundings is somewhat like the way our farmers today alter irrigation systems to water the crops. The Hohokam built canal systems, we build irrigation systems…just a modernized form of canal systems. However, I think the way the Hohokam built their cities around a river and built close to have a community is different from the way Americans do things today. Anymore, people are trying to move out to the “country” to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. They are not concerned about building on a river to ensure the availability of water.
The Hohokam people saw their universe as something that should be treated with the utmost respect. They valued nature and tried to preserve it at all costs. They did this by farming in away that protected the land itself. What is differt about these peoples is that they are the first Indians we have studied that were influenced greatly by Christianity. So much so that a Church was built in their community. Their communities were often set up in an organized way relating to the farmland.
I'd agree the Tohono O'odham didn't have formally defined religious beliefs that correspond 1-to-1 with Christianity, like the Trinity, etc., but they had spiritual practices, ceremonies and dances, etc., relating to harvesting crops -- especially the saguaro cactus (don't know if I spelled that right), which was a staple food -- so when they converted to Catholicism it's like they added another set of beliefs that complemented their own.
They saw the universe as most people do who live and work on farms. They take care of their land and work it. They were very religious oriented as are many cultures back then and didn't really know much about anything. They took in christianity so easily so they probably weren't to religious oriented before that. People with religious affilitations aren't easily swayed as the Hohokam people were.
I think that the Hohokam people treated their land with great respect. After all, this was their source of life. Everything they need to survive was right there. In the desert they used the river to water their crops and nourish themselves. They used the plants that were native to the land, they did not try to grow things they knew wouldn't survive. They just used what they had. I think the hohokam people were easily influenced...since they were converted the Christianity by a strager whom no one knew at the time. They had built three churches for themselves one of which is still around today. The article says: "It is their church and their nation's church, even as it belongs to all men." This goes to show just how important church was to the Hohokam people.
It seems like the Hohokam peopel saw the world like other Native Ameircan Cultures. They respected and appreciated the land that they had. They farmed to produce food, and were influenced by Christianity. It is a place to be taken care of and treated in a well mannered way to preserved it for the future.
1. I think that because they were farmers and depended on the rivers and canals for their survival, they were respectful to nature. They probably believed in a god that demanded some type of offering. When people live that close to nature and possible death, they have a very reverent perspective toward the things that support their life. They appreciate the life they have and work hard to keep their civilization going. Also, they probably felt isolated from other cultures, and possibly thought they were the only people and the first people in the world. (A desert isn’t a terribly popular place to live!).
2. It seems that the architecture of the church shows their respect and reverence for their faith. They seemed to want to be closer to their holy figures.
The Hohokam people saw everything just like all others did. They seem to respect their land, but had very little to be apperictied of. They saw the the universe as were people farm the land, to provide food for their family. thier land was a sacred place thats what they belived. They were also very religious in someways.
I think think that the hohokam people had the upmost rerspect for the universe. The had very little land but they did a good job caring for it. It did not take much to influence the indians and eventhough Christianity was a big religion they also had other religions.
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