The Zuni Indian Reservation, also known as Pueblo of Zuni, is the homeland of the Zuni tribe of Native Americans. In

Zuni language Zuni (also formerly Zuñi, endonym ) is a language of the Zuni people, indigenous to western New Mexico and eastern Arizona in the United States. It is spoken by around 9,500 people, especially in the vicinity of Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico, and ...

, the Zuni Pueblo people are referred to as A:shiwi, and the Zuni homeland is referred to as Halona Idiwan’a meaning Middle Place.

Location

The reservation lies in the

Zuni River The Zuni (Zuñi) River is a tributary of the Little Colorado River in the southwestern United States. It has its origin in Cibola County, New Mexico, in the Zuñi Mountains at the Continental Divide. The river flows off the western slopes of the ...

valley and is located primarily in

McKinley McKinley may refer to: People *McKinley (name), a page for people with the surname and given name "McKinley" **William McKinley, 25th president of the United States. Places Philippines * Fort William McKinley (now Fort Bonifacio) in Metro Ma ...

and Cibola counties in western

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

, about west of

Albuquerque Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

. There are also several smaller non-contiguous sections in

Apache County, Arizona Apache County is a County (United States), county in the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. Shaped in a long rectangle running north to south, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 66,021. The county ...

, northwest of the city of St. Johns. The main part of the reservation borders the state of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

to the west and the Ramah Navajo Reservation to the east. The main reservation is surrounded by the Painted Cliffs, the Zuni Mountains, and the

Cibola National Forest The Cibola National Forest (pronounced SEE-bo-lah) is a 1,633,783 acre (6,611.7 km2) United States National Forest in New Mexico, US. The name Cibola is thought to be the original Zuni Indian name for their pueblos or tribal lands. The name wa ...

. The reservation's total land area is 723.343 sq mi (1,873.45 km²). As noted above, the Zuni Tribe also has land holdings in Apache County, Arizona, and Catron County, New Mexico, that do not border the main reservation.

Population

The population was reported at 7,891 inhabitants in the 2010 census. Almost all of the population lives in the reservation headquarters community of Zuni Pueblo, located near the reservation's center, or in nearby Black Rock, to its east.

History and main features

Also on the main reservation are the Hawikuh Ruins. The ancient Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh was the largest of the Seven Cities of Cibola. It was established in the 13th century and abandoned in 1680. It was also the first pueblo seen by the Spanish explorers. The

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n scout Estevanico was the first non-Native to reach this area. The largest town on the reservation is Zuni Pueblo, which is seat of Tribal government. Also on the reservation are the towns of Black Rock and Pescado. There is a branch campus of the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

located in Zuni.

Tribal government

The Zuni Tribe is governed by an elected governor, lieutenant governor, and a six-member Tribal Council with elections being held every four years. The governor is the administrative head of the Tribal Council, which is the final decision-making body on the reservation. The council oversees finances, business decisions, taxes and contracts.

Education

The sections in Cibola and McKinley counties in New Mexico are zoned to the Zuni Public Schools. Zuni High School is the zoned high school.

Bibliography

Zuni Reservation and Off-Reservation Trust Land, New Mexico/Arizona
United States Census Bureau

References

External links

Official site of the Zuni tribe

Official site of Zuni Tourism
{{authority control American Indian reservations in Arizona American Indian reservations in New Mexico Geography of Apache County, Arizona Geography of Catron County, New Mexico Geography of Cibola County, New Mexico Geography of McKinley County, New Mexico Reservation