What's Wrong With The Term Anasazi, You Might Ask?

in #history6 years ago (edited)

Ancient People Of North America


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After quite a few requests from some of my fellow Steemians during one of my recent posts about my ancient ancestors, there was a bit of a fuss over my discontent with the word Anasazi. You can find my post here, and see the comments.

My statements seemed to get some folks in a tizzy (maybe because initially I used the "n" word) so I mentioned that I would think about writing a post and try to find "proof" regarding how my people, the Hopi and many other tribes feel about this derogatory word.

I'm touching on a few facts regarding the feelings about the people in this area because I'm doing quite a bit of writing lately on my month long excursion into the four corners of North America. The four corners consist of four continental states that meet; Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.

This also includes the reprimand I received while using the word Anasazi in connection to my ancestors. It was done publicly and for a reason. If the person did not care about me he would not have done this, and I respect him for what he did. There are many reasons why this term is offensive and I will provide some proof of the reasons.

Long ago there were what some people call Puebloans or Pueblo Indians that lived in this area and in actuality disappeared into thin air, or some would have us believe. In reality, each tribe has a special name given to our ancients and the word I use for my ancients in connection with the Northern Native American Hopi tribe is Hisatsinom.

So, let us find out a few reasons as to how this word actually came about ...


The Word Anasazi


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We begin with a few articles that start to voice out the displeasure about the word Anasazi, and I quote High Country News when they state here:

What is wrong with Anasazi? For starters, it is a Navajo word unrelated to any of the Pueblo peoples who are modern-day descendants of the Anasazi. But more than that, the word is a veiled insult.

We have only started into many of the articles I found in regards to this term. The website Archeology admits the Hopi had been voicing their displeasure since the 1990's, and in my opinion probably way before that with these words here:

Anasazi are disappearing from sites like Mesa Verde all over again, replaced by "Ancestral Puebloans" or "Ancestral Pueblo People" at the request of modern Native American tribes who claim the word Anasazi is an offensive Navajo term originally meaning "enemy ancestors."

Let me not forget to include that there is even an argument that Anasazi is not a Navajo word, and that many tribes have their own name so each tribe must come to an agreement as to what to name our ancestors. For now, the accepted language is ancient puebloans.


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The Seattle Times also questions the term Anasazi with their article entitled Is `Anasazi' Now Politically Incorrect? -- Hopi People, Others Are Bothered By Term, a Hopi tribal member states the following:

It's what the Navajos called the Hopi and other Pueblo people, the `enemy of old,' and we feel that sort of interpretation is very derogatory, since the Hopi religion doesn't call anyone an enemy," says Leigh Kuwanwisiwma, director of the Hopi Tribe Cultural Preservation Office

From the same article, a wise man in my opinion stated:

American Indians have historically been excluded from the scientific examination of their past, says state archaeologist Kevin Jones of the Utah Division of History. A sense of `us and them' has dominated studies of the American Indian. Now they are trying to have some influence on how their history is interpreted.

Do we start to see a pattern here my dear Steemians, and especially to those who stated they "never heard this before" or "where is written?”

Eagle Spirit is here to share some facts.

When someone from a tribe and proven bloodline shares new information, it is okay to question. In my opinion, no question is a bad question. The rest is up to you to also research and find out for yourself.

There were those who stated they "looked everywhere," and could not find the information. No worries ... here are some more articles for your leisure.


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During quite a bit of my research and intuition I came upon a fabulous book entitled The Strange Continent that stated very clearly :

To this day, the builders of Mesa Verde are often called “the Anasazi,” as if that was the name of their tribe or nation — and not a derogatory term in an unrelated language, conceived by people who arrived in the region after Mesa Verde’s demise.

The Hopis, Zunis and other Puebloan people would have to wait several more centuries before anthropologists recognized them for who they truly are: cultural and linguistic (and possibly genetic) descendants of the people who built the Southwest’s mighty ancient citadels.

Of course, Puebloan peoples never needed academic confirmation of their ancient pedigree. In towns and villages throughout the Southwest, they still sing the old songs and recite the old stories of their civilization’s golden age — the time before Navajos or Shoshones or European invaders, when their land belonged to them alone.

I have to admit, this author won a place in my heart and never once disrespected the ancients of any tribe throughout the three chapters I read for this blog-post.

Take a look at this article from Science website over the term Anasazi and how this raised quite a fuss in the archeological community as well as the local four corners area here:

Tessy Shirakawa, a park spokesperson and tribal liaison, explains that some Pueblo Indians consider the word “Anasazi” derogatory. The Navajo term can mean “Enemy Ancestors” or “Non-Navajo Ancestors,” depending on the tribe, according to archaeologist Linda Cordell of the University of Colorado, Boulder, Museum. Many Indians therefore prefer the term “Ancient Puebloans.” Shirakawa says the park is switching terms in its own publications and asks authors and publishers to do the same.

Many of these articles were written in the 1990s to the present, and even though I made the mistake of using the term in front of my people, the accurate information has been out in the world for quite some time. Historically, the term was used for approximately 100 years, but this does not make the term Anasazi accurate and a change has been made.

It’s time for everyone to be aware of not only this small term change, but many more facts related to stolen stories, broken treatise, ripped off artifacts, attempts to take away language, damaged lands by badly constructed oil rigging, and the list goes on.


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There is so much about my ancestry I would love to share and it appears that much of it will have to do with "proving" the fact that what I share is truth.

I'd like to recommend that even when someone hears something for the first time, to be open about the information and then do research.

Most countries are not yet banned from the internet or overly censored to the point where the information I gathered was difficult and I didn't use any of the websites with the word Wiki in it! (My personal pet peeve.)

Overall, I've used quite a bit of legitimate sourcing to prove my point and that of my ancestors. As far as the term Anasazi meaning the "n" word, that has come out in a few newspapers and magazines but nothing has been released by a tribal member.

When it does I will be sure to make a post just for those who doubted Eagle Spirit. In the interim, thank you for being curious and as always I look forward to hearing your words of inquiry.


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You may have noticed the photos I shared depicting the ancients of the four corners area. What they may have looked like, how they lived, and what they celebrated.

Within the photos are those of snakes, there is an old North Native American story of The Spider Woman and how she gave birth to the Snake Clan.

The snake was a major symbol to my ancestors and I may go into that in a future blog, but for now I would like to share this traditional story with you today ...

In the walls of the kiva were hanging many costumes made of snake skins. Soon the chief said to the people: "Let us dress up now," and turning to the young man bid him to turn away so that he would not see what was going on. He did so, and when he looked back again the men had all dressed up in the snake costumes and had turned into snakes, large and small, bull snakes, racers, and rattlesnakes, that were moving about on the floor hissing, rattling, etc.

While he had turned away and the Snake People had been dressing themselves, Spider Woman had whispered to him that they were now going to try him very hard, but that he should not be afraid to touch the snakes; and she gave him many instructions...

Spider Woman whispered to the young man that the one that acted so very angrily was the pretty maiden and that he should try to take that one. He tried, but the snake was very wild and fierce. "Be not afraid," Spider Woman whispered.... He at once grabbed it, held and stroked it four times upward, each time spurting a little medicine on it, and thus freeing it from its anger.

The snake then changes back into a beautiful maiden; the two later marry, and their children become the ancestors of the Snake Clan.

There are many variations to this tale and some are quite long while this one was on the short side. Hopefully, you found this post informative and I'd like to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment below.

A'OO,

Eagle Spirit

ES logo.png

Greetings,

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a First Nation member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Medicine woman in-training, first time blogger since November 2017, (right here on Steemit), paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the Mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, energy work, and the spirit world. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday, so if you are interested in receiving a Native American blessing stop by my blog every Monday, or just say hello!

See you soon, @eaglespirit

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I love this, thank you for sharing the information! I honestly hadn't heard it before, either. I try and do similar discernment regarding my own spiritual path (druidism), because so much "source material" is from people who were not at all from the culture and in many cases actively propagandizing or condemning (Romans, or Christians later). There are some druid groups who do the whole white robes for ritual thing, but that idea came from a Roman writer, who was supposedly describing the Most Sacred Ritual of druids. I'm like, um, the Romans genocidally hunted down druids specifically to kill the culture of the Celts (if you remove the history, law, spirituality, etc. of a conqured people and then give it a few generations, no one will be alive who remembered that culture and they will identify as one of the conquerer culture, not as a seperate culture that might revolt), why would you ever think one of them saw The Most Sacred Ritual or even knew what The Most Sacred Ritual was? That would be like some Manifest Destiny-believing white guy being taken as a truthful source about First Peoples religion, by First Peoples. But I digress. :)

@phoenixwren so glad you stopped by and was able to read this and take some of it in. i've hard more and more get back to druidism, so interesting! getting back to our ancients is so important for all. so true about all you said they systematically did this to many of our ancestors. i'm part celt myself, which in of itself is an insulting word to some since it means barbarian. ahahaha hilarious, i think i said i digress ... two meant to be together pals! ahahahaha

And barbarian just means, someone who doesn't speak Greek. LOL I'm a wee bit Mi'kmaq, but not lots. Unfortunately I know nothing about the culture really as that branch of the family tree was heavily Catholic.
If you don't know them, the histories of Tecumseh and Vercingetorix are eerily similar. What Tecumseh did trying to unite tribes to stop America from taking all their lands, Vercingetorix did trying to unite tribes against the Romans. It's practically the same story but 1800 years apart. I think it was reading novelizations of both of those that first made me start looking for any other connections. I have developed a pet theory over the years that the Tuatha de Dannan (the fae) were possibly Native Americans.

thats so damn interesting, my skull just lit up with that info! 😮👀

FOR TSE: You know, this is actually kind of sad. Not to take away from your objections at all, but Anasazi is such a lyrical word. When I was in college minoring in anthropology, I took a course on the Southwest Indian tribes -- run by a professor so lazy, he gave an A to anyone who even bothered to turn in a paper. Didn't read it. Threw it in the trash right in front of you. Marked down your grade ... and you were free to go.

In that class, however, we learned that the three major prehistoric civilizations of that region were the Anasazi, the Hohokam and the Mogollon. Of those maybe Hohokam is the most fun to say ... but Anasazi is the most musical.

The Inn of the Anasazi was / is one of my favorite restaurants in Santa Fe. The decor is divine and so is the food. (It's a shame we can't afford to eat there any more.)

Darn, I wish its meaning weren't so messed up.

P.S. For my term paper in that anthropology class, I wrote on Apache and Navajo witchcraft. I wish I could remember one guzbucking thing that I wrote in it.

@enchantedspirit it is very sad, and i have a bag of "anasazi" beans too. lol now that i look at the word its mixed emotions. love your story and thank you for sharing that. that professor sounds like a dweeb. hey hey my peeps dont have witchcraft!! i wont believe the apache are into that, just wont. wahhhhh
i saw the inn of the anasazi ... is it that good? do you like santa fe? i found it sooo expensive! NYC prices smh

no no noooo you are seriously using guzbucking ?? nooooo i can''ttt la la la la

this is brilliant! I would never have known this had you not written about it. Its a thing not many people discuss outside of the native american community.

thank you so very much my dearest @torico! you are so right, i wasn't sure i would be able to find material to support the feeling. fortunately, i did! xoxo

yay!!! hugs!

hehe and omgeee wow ... i love that and want it! did you create that? whoaaaaa

Good informative article on The Term Anasazi.
you work hard for this. well done my dear friend.

hey thank you so very much, i really appreciate you liking the post!

You are welcome friend..

Great article. I spent three weeks in that area a.o. mesa verde, New mexico and Colorado and remember stories from the guides about great forced movements of tribes leading ot a lot of misery but that is another subject. Thx!

no kidding! i'd love to hear your stories! :)
ah the guides LOL were they native american or nps?
well, i can say that during the "takeover" as i call it that most of the ute kept their lands but they want to roam free like have the all of colorado state like they used too. LOL
my tribes (the ones in this post) left long before the ute and others came along. :)
yes, my hopi tribe were not happy about being pushed south nor my apache ancestors who were nomads to the Nth degree happy about being told where or what to do. LOL thats another story for sure.

I best remember canyon de chelly which (nowadays) is a Navajo reservate. The guides were Navajo and awaited us in jeeps early in the morning at the local hotel. They did tell us the Original people were other tribes.http://www.americansouthwest.net/arizona/canyon_de_chelly/national_monument.html

When I started reading your post I was thinking oh no more people being offended by words whats wrong with "Anasazi"? isn't that the name for that group of people?

However thanks to your post I have learned something its a case of saying "Hey knobhead that's not our name!"

At the same time, we should be careful of taking offense where none is intended if a word is taught as a name with no definition behind it the uses is not calling you "enemy"

Moreover, someone attempting to use "Anasazi" is more likely trying to be politically correct and sensitive to the culture when compared to someone that uses the term Indian, in which case offence is the wrong approach, education is better which is exactly what you have done.

I think I'm going to do more research and make this word part of my Alphabet Adventures

Bloody well done

yay from you this is quite the honor and i thank you so much for the beautiful comment. xoxo

Wonderful post, ES. Blunt without being nasty. I often forget that second part :)

The same hundred or so years has preached the gospel that all the original inhabitants of the Americas came across an ice bridge at the end of the last ice age. It is simply not so.

Native people have long been said to have no history or culture past what we can see. Their histories claim very much otherwise and are starting to prove out even in the arrogant scientific community. The one that builds a box, puts and entire continent in it and calls it solved.

Urrgghhh. There are so many things I could say here, but I probably need to be silent for a change. It really is up to the people themselves what their terminology should be, not to the 'powers that be'.

Thanks for an extraordinary article. I hope you may have caused a few to be awakened.

tom!! how are ya mah man, how's life? i hope traveling far and wide! :)
thank you so much for noticing the blunt and not nasty part, it can get tricky for sure.
yeah the ice bridge is full of it. LOL
you are so right on your assessment and stated perfectly! woot
your words are truth and no hate at all, love it!
love your last sentence too, just an all around beautiful comment and i thank you so much. xoxo

thank you for clearing this up! i am glad that you shared this to bring the truth to light. so often the people who write history write their own narrative and disrespect the truth and therefore the people on the other side of that history. i am glad to know this now as to not call the ancient puebloans by the name their enemy gave them!

hey there my jewelers! i hope you are well and having a lovely summer. :)
you are so right about "writing their own narrative."
thank you so much for stopping by and appreciating the material, its not an easy one to address. xo

yeah! been thinking of the post you wrote that originated this post.. all day thinking about it... you really connected some dots for us. the inter-galactic messages are finding their home here... we want our homestead to be a place for such downloads. thanks for your spirit, eagle spirit and words shared on the blockchain. you're changing the lives of many and we are thankful for you and your ancestors and traditions. <3

Thanks for sharing. This is really a unexpected & am glad that you took this time to share with us.

There's so much history & pride & should definitely be documented so that the younger generation will know of it. If not, it will be forgotten

ah glad you read this and so happy you found this helpful. my humble thank you. xo

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