Nambé Oweenge Pueblo ( ; tew, Nambé Oweengé / , ) is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP) in Santa Fe County,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

, and is also a

federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the Unite ...

of Native American Pueblo people. The Pueblo of Nambé has existed since the 14th century and is a member of the Eight Northern Pueblos."Nambe Pueblo"
''New Mexico, Land of Enchantment''. New Mexico Tourism Department. Retrieved March 9, 2018. It was a primary cultural, economic, and religious center at the time of the arrival of

Spanish colonists Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex history, including a number of different languages, both ind ...

in the very early 17th century. Nambé was one of the Pueblos that organized and participated in the

Pueblo Revolt of 1680 The Pueblo Revolt of 1680, also known as Popé's Rebellion or Popay's Rebellion, was an uprising of most of the indigenous Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México, larger than present-day New Mexic ...

, trying to expel the Spanish from the area. The community of Nambe, New Mexico, is separate from the pueblo.

Name

Nambé is the Spanish version of a similar-sounding Tewa word, which can be interpreted loosely as meaning "rounded earth." The word "pueblo" stems from the Spanish word for "village." Pueblo refers both to the Southwestern style architecture and the people themselves.

Demographics

The 2010 census found that 1,818 people lived in the CDP, while 568 people in the United States reported being exclusively Nambé and 723 people reported being Nambé exclusively or in combination with another group.

Language

The Nambé language is a dialect of the Tewa language, also called Tano, which belongs to the Kiowa-Tanoan language family.

History

Origin and early history

Scholars believe that all Pueblo peoples are descended from the

Ancestral Pueblo people The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...

, possibly from the Mogollón, and other ancient peoples. In contemporary times, the people and their archaeological culture were referred to as Anasazi for historical purposes - a Navajo term loosely translated as "Enemy Ancestors" as some Navajo clans are descendants of the Anasazi. Contemporary Puebloans do not want this term to be used. As the Ancestral Puebloans abandoned their canyon homeland due to social upheaval and climate change, they migrated to other areas. Eventually the Nambé emerged as a culture in their new homeland in present-day New Mexico.

European contact

The Spanish conquistador

Juan de Oñate Juan de Oñate y Salazar (; 1550–1626) was a Spanish conquistador from New Spain, explorer, and colonial governor of the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México in the viceroyalty of New Spain. He led early Spanish expeditions to the Great ...

arrived with armed forces in the area in 1598. He forced Nambé Pueblo, as was the case with other pueblos, to start paying him taxes with cotton, crops and labor. Catholic missionaries also came into the area, threatening native religious beliefs. They renamed pueblos with saints' names, and the first church was built in Nambé Pueblo in the early 1600s. The Spanish introduced new foods to the native communities, including peaches, peppers, and wheat. In 1620 a royal decree assigned civil offices to each Pueblo.

Economy

The people of Nambé Pueblo participate in a mixed economy, with many travelling to jobs outside of the Pueblo lands. Prior to 2020, the Nambé operated a casino on tribal land at the Nambé Falls Travel Center.Tesla opens a showroom on Native American land in New Mexico, getting around the state's ban on automakers selling vehicles straight to consumers
Business Insider, 13 September 2021, retrieved 14 September 2021. In 2021, Tesla opened a service center on Nambé land to service Tesla vehicles, after signing an agreement with Nambé Pueblo leaders. This allowed the first service center to open in the State of New Mexico since state law prohibits automakers from selling direct to consumers, as Tesla does, and state law did not allow Tesla to open a service center without selling cars through

intermediary An intermediary (or go-between) is a third party that offers intermediation services between two parties, which involves conveying messages between principals in a dispute, preventing direct contact and potential escalation of the issue. In la ...

car dealers. By November 2022, Tesla had followed this model of leasing native American land for a service and delivery center at a second New Mexico city— Santa Ana—which is closer to the large city of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

. The store is expected to open in May 2023 and will be five times larger than the first New Mexico facility in Nambe.

Education

The Nambé Pueblo is zoned into

Pojoaque Valley Schools Pojoaque Valley Public Schools is a school district with its headquarters in an unincorporated area in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States, with a Santa Fe, New Mexico post office address. Pojoaque Valley Schools serves the Pojoaque Vall ...

Pojoaque Valley High School Pojoaque Valley High School is a public high school in unincorporated Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It is located on the Jacona Campus, which is outside of the Jacona census-designated place. - Compare to the zone map and to thJacona CDP map It se ...

is the zoned comprehensive high school.

Notable people

* Marilyn Bendell, impressionist painter * Brenda McKenna, member of the New Mexico Senate, 2021 *

Margaret Lefranc Margaret Lefranc (''nee'' Frankel; later Schoonover) (March 15, 1907September 5, 1998) was an American painter, illustrator and editor, an American Modernist with early training as a color expressionist. Lefranc produced portraits, figures, flora ...

, painter, illustrator, and editor * Ben Luján, member and former speaker of the

New Mexico House of Representatives ) is the lower house of the New Mexico State Legislature. There are 70 members of the House. Each member represents roughly 25,980 residents of New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , ...

Ben Ray Luján Ben Ray Luján ( ; born June 7, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from New Mexico since 2021. He served as the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2021 and the assistant House Democratic leade ...

, former member of U.S. House of Representatives,

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from New Mexico (2021), son of Ben Luján * Nathaniel A. Owings, architect * Lonnie Vigil, pottery artist

References

External links

Nambé Pueblo Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nambé Pueblo, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Unincorporated communities in New Mexico Tewa Native American tribes in New Mexico Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico Tourist attractions in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area National Register of Historic Places in Santa Fe County, New Mexico Adobe buildings and structures in New Mexico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico