The Laguna Pueblo ( Western Keres: Kawaika ʰɑwɑjkʰɑ is a federally recognized tribe of Native American

Pueblo people The Puebloans or Pueblo peoples, are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Currently 100 pueblos are actively inhabited, among which Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Z ...

in west-central

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

, near the 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 in ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Part of the Laguna territory is included in the

Albuquerque metropolitan area The Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area, sometimes referred to as Tiguex (named after the Southern Tiwa), is a metropolitan area in central New Mexico centered on the city of Albuquerque. The metro comprises four counties: Bernalillo, San ...

, chiefly around Laguna's Route 66 Resort and Casino. The name, ''Laguna'', is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

(meaning "small lake") and derives from the lake on their reservation. This body of water was formed by an ancient dam that was constructed by the Laguna people. After the Pueblo Revolt of 1680–1696, the Mission San José de la Laguna was erected by the Spanish at the old pueblo (now Old Laguna) and finished around July 4, 1699. 20220722 Laguna Pueblo Mesita from SF to Austin Alaskan Air emi-0768

20220722 Laguna Pueblo Mesita from SF to Austin Alaskan Air emi-0768

Geography

Their reservation lies in parts of four counties: In descending order of included land area they are Cibola,

Sandoval Sandoval is a habitational surname of Spanish language, Spanish origin. It primarily originates from Sandoval de la Reina, Spain, earlier called ''Sannoval'', which is a blend word of Latin ''saltus'' (meaning 'grove' or 'wood') and Latin ''novalis ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

and

Bernalillo Bernalillo () is a town in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 8,320. It is the county seat of Sandoval County. Bernalillo is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statistical Area. Histor ...

Counties. It includes the six villages of Encinal, Laguna, Mesita, Paguate, Paraje, and Seama. The reservation is west of the city of

. The reservation consists of approximately . The Laguna Pueblo (and the

Acoma Pueblo Acoma Pueblo (, kjq, Áakʼu) is a Native American pueblo approximately west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. Four communities make up the village of Acoma Pueblo: Sky City (Old Acoma), Acomita, Anzac, and McCartys. These co ...

) lie in the river basin of the

Rio San Jose The Rio San Jose is a tributary of the Rio Puerco in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Course The Rio San Jose's farthest tributary stream is Bluewater Creek; its headwaters are in the Zuni Mountains, near the continental divide in Cibola Count ...

. The laguna or lake was historically much larger than the present time and hosted waterfowl of many kinds, including ducks, geese and swans. The Rio San Jose flows into the

Rio Puerco The Rio Puerco is a tributary of the Rio Grande in the U.S. state of New Mexico. From its source on the west side of the Nacimiento Mountains, it flows about ,Calculated in Google Earth generally south to join the Rio Grande about south of B ...

near the southeast corner of the Laguna Reservation.

Communities

* Encinal * Laguna * New Laguna, New Mexico * Mesita * Paguate *

Paraje Paraje, a Spanish term meaning in English place or spot. Paraje is a term from the original Spanish speaking settlers, in use among English speakers in the southwestern United States, particularly in New Mexico, that refers to a camping place along ...

* Seama *

Casa Blanca, New Mexico Casa Blanca is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Cibola County, New Mexico, Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. Casa Blanca is located on New Mexico State Road 23, east-southeast of Grants, New Mexico, Grants. It is part of ...

Demographics

On the 2010 census 6,758 people in the U.S. reported being exclusively Laguna and 8,358 people reported being Laguna either exclusively or in combination with another group. The State of New Mexico says the population is 7,700."Laguna Pueblo"
''New Mexico, Land of Enchantment''.

New Mexico Tourism Department The New Mexico Tourism Department is a state agency of New Mexico, headquartered in the Lamy Building in Santa Fe. Laguna canteen by Michael Kanteena (46320261324)

Laguna canteen by Michael Kanteena (46320261324)

The people of Laguna have a long history of residing in and farming along the Rio San José in west-central New Mexico. Laguna history begins long before the advent of written records in the Southwest. It is a common misconception that the Pueblo of Laguna began in 1699, at the time of the construction of the Mission. However, research of 1,449 archaeological sites and an anthropological analysis of the Laguna oral history have firmly proven that people have inhabited the area ranging from 6500 B.C. to the present. The

and Pueblo of Laguna have many ties, including location, language and a shared high school. The Pueblo of Laguna has a well-established

Tribal Law A legal custom is the established pattern of behavior that can be objectively verified within a particular social setting. A claim can be carried out in defense of "what has always been done and accepted by law". Customary law (also, consuetudina ...

system. The Pueblo of Laguna has participated as a "Weed and Seed" tribe. This Department of Justice program studied the enforcement of law and effectiveness of social programs on Native American lands. The Irish surname Riley was adopted by many members of the Laguna tribe in the 1800s, for legal use in European-American culture, while they retained their Laguna names for tribal use. File:A general view of the Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, 1879 - NARA - 542443.tif, Laguna Pueblo, 1879 Image:Laguna Baptistry.jpg, Door to Baptistry, Laguna Mission, 1934 Image:An-Indian-Pueblo-Laguna-New-Mexico-833x1155.jpg, ''An Indian Pueblo Laguna New Mexico'', by

Thomas Moran Thomas Moran (February 12, 1837 – August 25, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker of the Hudson River School in New York whose work often featured the Rocky Mountains. Moran and his family, wife Mary Nimmo Moran and daughter Ruth too ...

Education

Primary and middle school education is provided by the Laguna Department of Education, which also operates Early Childhood program and adult education programs. The

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

is shared with nearby

. Lagunas value intellectual activity and education, so a scholarship program has led to many well-educated Lagunas. Uranium mining on Pueblo of Laguna land has contributed to this scholarship program as well as to skilled labor learning among Laguna members. Lagunas and other Pueblos enjoy baseball. Like many Pueblos, the Laguna people are skilled in

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

Language

Lagunas traditionally speak the Western variety of

Keresan Keres (), also Keresan (), is a Native American language, spoken by the Keres Pueblo people in New Mexico. Depending on the analysis, Keres is considered a small language family or a language isolate with several dialects. The varieties of eac ...

. Most Laguna elders do not speak English.

Economy

The Laguna Development Corporation; founded in 1998, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Pueblo of Laguna. Laguna Development is a federally chartered tribal corporation formed under Section 17 of the 1934 Indian Reorganization Act. The company develops and operates the tribe's retail-based outlets, including two travel centers, a supermarket, a convenience store, an RV park, an arcade, a Superette and three casinos on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation that spans Cibola,

and

counties. Laguna Construction Company, a construction company owned by the Pueblo of Laguna, was one of the largest U.S. contractors in Iraq, with reconstruction contracts worth more than $300 million since 2004. In addition to its headquarters at the pueblo, Laguna Industries, Inc. maintains offices in Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; Baghdad, Iraq, and Amman, Jordan. In 2007, Laguna Construction employed 75 people, most of whom belong to the pueblo. Several Laguna Pueblo businesses are along tourist and truck route corridors that attract New Mexico tourists, long- and short-haul truck drivers, and residents of nearby

. Other Laguna Development businesses provide basic services to local tribal communities.

Notable people

Paula Gunn Allen Paula Gunn Allen (October 24, 1939 – May 29, 2008) was a Native American poet, literary critic, activist, professor, and novelist. Of mixed-race European-American, Native American, and Arab-American descent, she identified with her mother's p ...

(1939–2008), author, novelist, and scholar *

Deb Haaland Debra Anne Haaland (; born December 2, 1960) is an American politician serving as the 54th United States secretary of the interior. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as chair of the New Mexico Democratic Party from 2015 to 2017 and a ...

, 54th U.S Secretary of the Interior, the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level agency. She was former

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

for New Mexico's 1st congressional district (2019–2021), former chair of the

Democratic Party of New Mexico The Democratic Party of New Mexico (DPNM) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is headquartered in Albuquerque and led by Chair Jessica Velasquez, Vice Chair Manny Crespin, Secretary Pamelya Herndon, and T ...

(2015–2017), and nominee for lieutenant governor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

. * Frank Hudson (1875–1950), football player, coach * Michael Kanteena, potter * Lee Marmon, photographer *

Leslie Marmon Silko Leslie Marmon Silko (born Leslie Marmon; born March 5, 1948) is an American writer. A Laguna Pueblo Indian woman, she is one of the key figures in the First Wave of what literary critic Kenneth Lincoln has called the Native American Renaissance ...

, author

Notes

References

* Pritzker, Barry M. ''A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. .
Laguna Pueblo and Off-Reservation Trust Land, New Mexico United States Census Bureau
*

External links

Official Pueblo of Laguna websitePueblo of Laguna WebsiteLaguna Public Library
nbsp;– ''historic photographs of Pueblo of Laguna''.
HABS: San Jose de la Laguna Mission Church & Convento gallery
nbsp;– ''historic photos from the federal HABS—Historic American Buildings Survey project''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laguna Pueblo Puebloan peoples Pueblo great houses Native American tribes in New Mexico Federally recognized tribes in the United States History of Cibola County, New Mexico Native American history of New Mexico Populated places in Bernalillo County, New Mexico Populated places in Cibola County, New Mexico Populated places in Sandoval County, New Mexico Populated places in Valencia County, New Mexico Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico National Register of Historic Places in Cibola County, New Mexico Pueblos on the National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico