Tewa Culture

“A vast accumulation of knowledge or information passed down from generation to generation since the initiations of ones time.”

Atop the high desert plateaus of the upper Rio Grande Valley, the Tewa people came to be. For far longer than a millennia, hunters and gathers, stone masons and architects, basket weavers and potters, all paralleled their talent and beliefs to the alignments of the stars, the sun and moon. When viewed on a chronological degree, there are no logical ways to determine the indigenous existence within this world’s realm; science must still only speculate.

The modern Native American is a direct image of his and her cultural past, which is comprised of the multiple forms of oral and group accounts. A fine sequence of ceremonial degree added with his and her exposures has drawn Native peoples into a number of new directions.

Sculpted drum bodies cased with animal hides provide the pounding heartbeat of the earth as dancers glide in a well-synchronized wave of color and sound. These are the melodic adornments of the indigenous choreographers, composers and performers that flow to the polyphonic host of varied meaningful voices. This is a time-honored symphony of theatrical performance and creative excellence, from past to present, which has come together to participate with a harmonious sequence of a people’s celebration.

The Native American mind and heart fashioned a practice of documentation used to wage homage to the expression of their worldviews. Images and dates were encoded into and onto jewelry, tattoos, baskets, textiles, animal pelts, shell jewelry, stone and wood masks, mosaics, figures and monuments, metal wares, earthenware, music, dance and codices. The dialect, colors and structures all expressed the path of the individual piece in the portrayal of its’ use. Music for example, computed, composed and performed all in a seasonal and timely fashion; animal, water, plant, sky, fire, earth and spirit all revolved into a cohesive pattern of daily symmetry. From one generation to the next, we move forward.

Today’s artist displays a resourceful expression more extensive than ever before. Traditional, cultural and individual Native seasonings cast with the internet, radio, television, international contact and the escalating appetite of the societies wishing to be further informed all bring about the renaissance of vibrant kaleidoscopes of brilliance in many forms.