Kiva
A kiva is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circular and underground, and used for spiritual ceremonies.
Similar
Evolution
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2021) |
During the late 8th century, Mesa Verdeans started building square pit structures that archeologists call protokivas. They were typically 3 or 4 feet (0.91 or 1.22 m) deep and 12 to 20 feet (3.7 to 6.1 m) in diameter. By the mid-10th and early 11th centuries, these had evolved into smaller circular structures called kivas, which were usually 12 to 15 feet (3.7 to 4.6 m) across. Mesa Verde-style kivas included a feature from earlier times called a sipapu, which is a hole dug in the north of the chamber that is thought to represent the Ancestral Puebloans' place of emergence from the underworld.[3][4]
When designating an ancient room as a kiva, archaeologists make assumptions about the room's original functions and how those functions may be similar to or differ from kivas used in modern practice. The kachina belief system appears to have emerged in the South-West around A.D. 1250, while kiva-like structures occurred much earlier. This suggests that the room's older functions may have been changed or adapted to suit the new religious practice.
As cultural changes occurred, particularly during the
Fifteen top rooms encircle the central chamber of the vast Great Kiva at Aztec Ruins National Monument. The rooms'
... purpose is unclear. ... Each had an exterior doorway to the plaza. ... Four massive pillars of alternating masonry and horizontal poles held up the ceiling beams, which in turn supported an estimated 95-ton roof. Each pillar rested on four shaped-stone disks, weighing about 355 pounds [161 kg] apiece. These discs are of limestone, which came from mountains at least 40 miles away.[5]
After 1325 or 1350, except in the Hopi and Pueblo region, the ratio changed from 60 to 90 rooms for each kiva. This may indicate a religious or organizational change within the society, perhaps affecting the status and number of clans among the Pueblo people.
Great kiva
Great kivas differ from regular kivas, which archeologists call Chaco-style kivas (although
See also
References
- Citations
- ^ Pecina 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-317-39883-7.
- ^ Lipe 2006, pp. 30–31.
- ^ Lipe 2006, p. 30.
- ^ Cajete & Nichols 2004.
- ^ Vivian & Reiter 1965, pp. 82–92.
- ^ Hurst & Till 2006, p. 78.
- Bibliography
- Cajete, Gregory A.; Nichols, Teresa (2004), A Trail Guide to the Aztec Ruins, Western National Parks Association (WPNA)
- Hurst, Winston; Till, Jonathan (2006), "Mesa Verdean Sacred Landscapes", in Nobel, David Grant (ed.), The Mesa Verde World: Explorations in Ancestral Puebloan Archaeology, School of American Research Press, pp. 74–83, ISBN 978-1-930618-75-6
- Lipe, Willian D. (2006), "The Mesa Verde Region during Chaco Times", in Nobel, David Grant (ed.), The Mesa Verde World: Explorations in Ancestral Puebloan Archaeology, School of American Research Press, pp. 28–37, ISBN 978-1-930618-75-6
- Pecina, Ron (December 2012), "Estufa or Kiva", Indian Trader, 3564 (12), Cottonwood Arizona: D. South: 12–17
- Vivian, Gordon; Reiter, Paul (1965), The great kivas of Chaco Canyon and their relationships, University of New Mexico Press, ISBN 978-0-8263-0297-7
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (December 2011) |
Further reading
- Cordell, Linda S. (1994). Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Exploring the Ancient World. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-0895990389.
- LeBlanc, Steven A. (1999). Prehistoric Warfare in the American Southwest. University of Utah Press. ISBN 978-0874805819.
- Rohn, Arthur H.; Ferguson, William M (2006). Puebloan Ruins of the Southwest. University of New Mexico Press. ISBN 978-0826339706.
External links
- La Kiva tradicional de Oscar Freire
- Perfect Kiva on YouTube
- Mule Canyon Kiva on YouTube