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Spruce Tree House October 15, 2008 |
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 Petroglyph Hike Map |
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 Next Pictures |
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The Anasazi people were the ancestors of the modern Pueblo peoples, like the Taos or the Hopi.
Anasazi is a Navajo (Diné) word for the Puebloans literally meaning something like "ancient enemies",
though the term has come to mean something like "ancient ancestors", but its use is controversial among Puebloans;
the alternative ("Puebloan", Spanish term) probably even worse.
The ancient Pueblo people were honored in the Diné creation mythology, where they were known as the Kisani. Actual relations between the two groups seemed to have varied, however. From what I've been able to gather from various sources, there was never a coherent policy among either side; rather each side represented heterogenous subdivisions, and some of these were inimical to groups within the opposite culture. In recent decades there has been a land dispute pitting non-traditionalist Hopi factions against Navajo, and this animosity has tainted not only relations but also made the record of history hard to read and judge. |
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