Tribal Governments of the Tewa Pueblo

TRIBAL GOVERNMENT OF THE TEWA PUEBLO TRIBES

The Tewa Pueblo people live in New Mexico. Their governments are different from the governments of Plain tribes. Each village had two groups: the Summer People and the Winter People. Each person in the tribe was a member of one group or the other.

Each group took care of the village for half of the year. The Summer People made decisions about things that happen in the warm months. They were in charge of religious ceremonies for the crops. The Winter People made decisions about things that happen in the cold months.

The Summer People and the Winter People each had a leader. The leader was known as the cacique (kah-SEE-kay). The cacique would talk to the men of the Pueblo about important things. Then he made decisions for the community. Each cacique had two helpers. One helper was called “left hand,” the other “right hand.” These helpers made sure that people followed the rules. Each kiva group also had a War Chief or Outside Chief.

This person’s job was to deal with other tribes. Both the Summer and Winter People had their own special meeting place. This meeting place is called a kiva (KEE-vah). That is where important decisions were made for the Pueblo.

The Pueblo people had two different governments.

A Pueblo leader was called a cacique.

A kiva is a kind of squash.