ON CLIFF DWELLINGS, CANDOR, AND COEXISTENCE

I felt guilty simply by association. My ancestors had sought to annihilate theirs, with considerable success, I might add.  The elephant in the room had grown colossal in the 600 years separating then and now.  Fortunately I have plenty of experience when it comes to guilt.  I’m a mother of grown children!   

At the conclusion of our tour of New Mexico's Puye Cliff Dwellings I assuaged my guilt with a purchase of authentic American Indian pottery from Native Okhuwa P’ing, an artistic man with a gentle soul.  

I chose one of each; a bowl and an owl.

(2009) Public Law 111-118, Section 8113--The Apology to Native Peoples of the United States explains, “the United States, acting through Congress--

• Recognizes that there have been years of official depredations, ill-conceived policies, and the breaking of covenants by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes;

• Apologizes on behalf of the people of the United States to all Native Peoples for the many instances of violence, maltreatment, and neglect inflicted on Native Peoples by the citizens of the United States; and

• Urges the President to acknowledge the wrongs of the United States against Indian tribes in the history of the United States in order to bring healing to this land….”

Jimmy didn’t purchase any pottery, but he did give Pauline, our Native American tour guide, a very generous tip.  Jimmy said it was the least he could do given we were her only customers during our 90-minute tour.   I was on to him.  

When Pauline is not playing tour guide, she works as a nurse locally.

But I’m getting the cart before the horse.     

Puye Cliffs (pronounced poo-yay) is the ancestral home of the present-day inhabitants (approximately 1,000) of Santa Clara Pueblo, one of 19 pueblos in New Mexico.  Native Americans’ cultural and spiritual beliefs include significant attachments to ancestral land. 

Santa Clara Pueblo (called Kha’p’oo Owinge in Tewa, their native language, means valley of the wild roses) is located 10 miles east of the Puye Cliff Dwellings.  Santa Clara residents manage the cliff site located on the Pajarito Plateau.

The ladders were raised at the threat of attack.

There are 562 federally recognized Indian Nations (variously called tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities, rancherias and native villages) in the United States.  Approximately 229 of these ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse nations are located in Alaska; the rest are located in 33 other states.

The United States Constitution recognizes that Indian Nations are sovereign governments.
                                                  
                   National Congress of American Indians

According to Pauline, and archeologists of course, the cliff dwellings, one of the largest of the pueblo settlements on the Pajarito Plateau, were established in the late 1200s or early 1300s (during the Pueblo III Era) by the Puye Indians.  The Puye obviously discovered that while weathering of the tuff cliffs led to the development of a somewhat hard surface layer, just beneath the surface the tuff was soft and crumbly.  Stone and even wood was used to carve their architecturally astounding new digs, complete with planned community spaces.  

Timber inserted in the smaller holes was used as a foundation for the next level of apartments.

Their large tribal numbers (approximately 1000) suggest the Puye Indians relied on farming to supplement the traditional hunting of game and gathering of nuts, berries, fruits, seeds, and greens seen during the Pueblo II Era.  Corn cobs were part of the archeological artifacts at the ‘pueblo ruin where the rabbits gather’, which is what Puye means in Tewa. 

Archaeologists also determined the south-facing cliff housed 740 cozy and toasty winter residences/apartments originally stacked three stories high, to the top of the mesa; obviously inspiration for today’s apartment living.  Summers the Puye resided on the top of the mesa where cool northern breezes offset the summer heat.

I gingerly walked the 200-foot volcanic tuff cliff face (we opted not to tour the top of the mesa) formed by the Jemez Caldera volcanic eruption more than a million years ago, marveling at the magnificent view from almost 7,000 feet up.  Savoring that view, I understood anew the deep respect Native Americans share for the land.

The General Allotment Act of 1887, also known as the Dawes Act, forced the conversion of communally held tribal lands into small parcels for individual ownership.  More than 90 million acres – nearly two-thirds of reservation land – were taken from tribes and given to settlers, most often without compensation to the tribes, frequently leaving tribes with non-arable land that would not sustain the growth of their populations.     

                                                                                                     National Congress of American Indians

Pauline continued to ply us with Puye family history passed down orally from generation to generation as we made our way along the cliff.  Archaeological evidence helped fill in the gaps.  

Over three-thousand artifacts were uncovered during excavations from 1907 to 1910 by Edgar Hewett, an educator and the director of the School of American Archaeology in Santa Fe.  Those museum specimens included grinding stones, axes, awls, bowls, water jars and cooking pots.  The location of the artifacts indicated that each family had their own domestic equipment, such as stones for grinding corn, mortars and pestles for crushing seeds, and implements of stone, bone and wood.  

Food was usually stored deep inside each dwelling.

Jimmy doing his usual Construction Manager thing.

A large amount of pottery for domestic and ceremonial use was also uncovered; according to Hewett, much was “found in an apparently hopelessly shattered condition.”  However, when restored by the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles, the pottery was found to be of a very high quality and beauty. 

My pieces arrived home in pristine condition, the black-on-black pottery created by Okhuwa P’ing and his wife Linda distinctively Santa Clara Pueblo works of art.  I had no intention of filling my new pottery with cornmeal or dried berries or water to fortify me during the long winter months, as was the custom.  It’s been good riddance to Old Man Winter in these parts.      

The design on the bowl is rich in symbolism; the owl just spoke to me.

Drought seems to have driven the Puye to abandon their cliff dwellings in the late 16th century and head for land in the Rio Grande valley, where water was more plentiful.   I was getting pretty thirsty myself after just 90 minutes on the cliff in the hot sun.  The writing was on the wall.   It was time to return to the 21st century.  

The status of Indian Nations as governments and the preservation and protection of tribal history, language, culture and traditions are often misunderstood or not considered by the non-Indian community.  However, this relationship can be summed up very simply.  Self-government is essential for tribal communities to continue to protect their unique cultures and identities, and in turn tribal cultures and tradition provide foundation upon which Indian communities are governed. 

                                                                                                           National Congress of American Indians

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The Bottom Line on Santa Clara Pueblo Puye Cliff Dwellings

Verdict:  Every man has his castle.  This Native American castle, and so many others like it throughout the Midwest, are truly architectural wonders you don’t to miss.     

Insider Information:  Arrive as early as possible (the National Historic Landmark opens at 8:30 am during the summer, 9:00 am during the winter) if you plan on seeing both the cliff dwellings and the pueblo village on top of the mesa (a hefty $35 fee; $20 for just the cliff dwellings tour or just the mesa top tour). Two hours in the hot sun at an altitude of 7000 feet will suck it out of you.  Bring water!!! 

BTW, the two buildings at the base of the mesa (the gift shop and the interpretative center) were originally a Harvey House, the only one built on an Indian Reservation.  In the 1920s, Fred Harvey became famous for his hospitality houses close to railroad stops throughout the Midwest.    

Interpretative Center inside original Harvey House.

How to Get There:  The Puye Cliff Dwellings and Mesa Top are located five miles southwest of Espanola off Route 30.  From Santa Fe, New Mexico, take I-285/84 North to the Los Alamos exit, NM 502. Follow Route 502; turn right on NM 30, look for the Puye Cliffs Welcome Center on the left .  A word of caution: GPS is just a suggestion in most of New Mexico.   

The Welcome Center doubles as a gas station.

Nearby Food:   It’s back to the Welcome Center or the nearby town of Espanola when it comes to food in terms of a meal.  

Seven more miles to the cliff dwellings.