Looking across Rattlesnake Ridge toward Cochiti Pueblo
Here is something wonderful about moving to the northern part of New Mexico: We will be nearer to the 19 northern pueblos, which are Acoma, Cochiti, Jemez, Isleta, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque, Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santo Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Zia, and Zuni. I hope to be able to learn about the people, their culture, and their language.
We heard a little of what might have been Keres (the language of the Cochiti and the nearby Santo Domingo Pueblos, among others) being spoken, mother to child, in the store at Cochiti the other day.
To hear audio samples of the most of the languages being spoken, go to Language of the 19 Pueblos.
Here are a few common words in English and in Keres, as spoken at the Cochiti Pueblo. The list is part of one from Vocabulary Words in Native American Languages, which is a section of a larger resource, Pueblo Indian Languages.
| English | Cochiti | |
| One | ishk | |
| Two | kyuh'mi | |
| Three | chahm | |
| Four | kya'nah | |
| Five | t'ahm | |
| Man | hachtzeh | |
| Woman | k'uyaw | |
| Dog | tiya | |
| Sun | oshach | |
| Moon | tahwach | |
| Water | tz'itz | |
| White | k'ahshah or sch'amotz | |
| Yellow | kuchin | |
| Red | kukain | |
| Black | muh'nah'kain |
Mabel Dodge Lohan wrote a very interesting book about the Pueblos at Taos, Edge of Taos Desert. It's about her first year there and the light, her experience with that region as she was likewise fascinated by it and its people. If you know her story, you know she was wealthy but a bit of a boehemian, friends with many artists and writers. She fell in love with a Tewan and made her life there as his wife. I have never stayed in her home which was a bed and breakfast and not sure what it is now, but I did get some photos of it when I was in Taos. You are right, it's a fascinating region. I was there partly due to my interest in the pueblo peoples and also in Georgia O'Keeffe. I have always hoped to go back but it's a bit far and never seems to work out. I took a lot of photos though when visiting the various Anasazi sites, the best of which was Chaco Canyon. Definitely would be a wonderful area to live and explore
ReplyDeleteJust another reason I love calling New Mexico my home :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
~Lisa