Imagine a tribe of innovative, fierce Indians living in the South West region of the United
States. These Indians, the Hopi, Zuni, and Puebloans, call the hot, arid mesas and canons of Southwest home. The environment in which the South West Pueblo tribes lived shaped every aspect of their culture.
The food that the South West Pueblo ate was impacted by their environment.
Hunting was a huge part of the South West Pueblo's food source. During hunting South West Pueblo Indians used bows and boomerangs. They hunted birds, rabbits, buffalo, antelope and deer and raised turkeys. The early Pueblo Indians were nomadic and followed their prey. When they learned to irrigate and use after sources available to them, they farm and build permanent homes.…show more content… For example, pottery was a common ability that most women had. Their pottery was made from grey clay that is smoothed with a pebble. The pebble they used was passed down from generation to generation. Their pottery was created into a variety of objects from simple pots and bowls to figures of animals. The Southwest Pueblo Indians mined coal from the mesas. They are thought to be the first Native American tribe to use coal to fire pottery. Another artistic ability that was popular among the Pueblo Indians is basket weaving. These baskets are made of yucca bush leaves which are sometimes dyed red or brown and even bleached white. These baskets are created from an awl and are sometimes used as currency. The basket also had a "spirit line" and the Pueblo Indians believed that the line would allow the evil spirits at the center of the basket to escape. The Hopi Indians made kachina dolls which were dolls that were traditionally made by the men and given to young Hopi girls to teach them he responsibilities of being a woman and caring for children. These dolls were originally carved from cottonwood roots. The artistic artifacts of the Southwest Pueblo Indians were formed from the diverse environment where they
