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The Tewa World: Space, Time Being and Becoming in a Pueblo Society
"This is a book that springs from richness. . . valuable not only for anthropologists and sociologists. . . the interested but unskilled layman will find a treasure trove as well. One thing seems certain. If this book does not become THE authority for the scholar, it will certainly never be ignored. Ortiz has done himself and his people proud. They are both worthy of the acclamation."— The New Mexican
216 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1969
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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January 5, 2021It’s hard to read this book. Like the last archaeology book I read, it has a lot of references to other archaeologists. Also, I feel that it shares a lot of information the Tewa would not want people to know. I believe it’s a classic, well-respected book, though.
June 5, 2024
The Tewa World is a fascinating study of a an otherwise unassuming subculture in southern New Mexico that would (and has) gone generally overlooked by the larger anthtopogical community. Reading about the ancient and complex rituals and patterns that define every moment of Tewa life on this small reservation feels similar to reading about some fantasy/sci-fi civilization like in Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. Tewa history and traditions are so vast and colorful that you get sense this text only scratches the surface and you could potentially fill a library with details about every ritual and passtime.
THAT BEING SAID, this book is not always fun to read. Sadly, much of it is extremely dry and at times reads more like a doctoral thesis than an anthropological study for the public. The other major issue I have with The Tewa World is that it was written in response to and in direct opposition of earlier notable works on the subject of Tewa and southwestern native culture. Readers that are not at all familiar with those works will have a difficult time following the 'office drama' style nature of a the author's assertions and findings.
I still recommend The Tewa World to anyone interested in the subject, as it is a short read, and has a wealth of very detailed information about a niche culture not many people have heard of.
THAT BEING SAID, this book is not always fun to read. Sadly, much of it is extremely dry and at times reads more like a doctoral thesis than an anthropological study for the public. The other major issue I have with The Tewa World is that it was written in response to and in direct opposition of earlier notable works on the subject of Tewa and southwestern native culture. Readers that are not at all familiar with those works will have a difficult time following the 'office drama' style nature of a the author's assertions and findings.
I still recommend The Tewa World to anyone interested in the subject, as it is a short read, and has a wealth of very detailed information about a niche culture not many people have heard of.
February 19, 2010
If you're a fan of the Levi-Strauss philosophy, you'll love this book.
It's a straightforward account, from a member of the Tewa clan, of the organization of Tewa society into dualities. It's interesting to see how the organization permeates the members' thoughts of themselves and their personality traits.
Thought-provoking read that helps the reader examine the organization of their own society.
It's a straightforward account, from a member of the Tewa clan, of the organization of Tewa society into dualities. It's interesting to see how the organization permeates the members' thoughts of themselves and their personality traits.
Thought-provoking read that helps the reader examine the organization of their own society.
May 29, 2008
a classic but explanations of the spiritual make (for me) for weary reading. i lived and worked in san juan pueblo (ortiz's home village)for a few years so it took on a different meaning for me.
ortiz was sort of ostracized for revealing too much of tewa culture in this book but was already to speak to "outsiders"(like me) about pueblo culture and meaning.
ortiz was sort of ostracized for revealing too much of tewa culture in this book but was already to speak to "outsiders"(like me) about pueblo culture and meaning.
October 3, 2015
2 Stars for "it was ok". An interesting study about the Tewa society. A little dry and mind-numbing at times, though.
July 5, 2022
When are we morally and ethically obligated to STOP reading a book? For me it is NOW, with this monograph published by University of Chicago Press in 1969. I'm currently taking a 12 week course on southwest archeology and one of my classmates mentioned this book. Surprisingly, I found it in the library and started reading.
I got to about page 60 and started feeling uncomfortable (the book is 197 pages total).
The author is a San Juan Pueblo (since renamed to Okay Owingeh Pueblo) Indian and anthropologist who is writing about his own people. It goes into great detail on the world view, spiritual beliefs (including prayers), and rituals of the Tewa people. When I started getting uncomfortable, I started googling and learned that many Tewa people felt betrayed by the disclosure of this information, while scholars praised the book.
It reminds me of when I have explored ancestral pueblo sites and there are sometimes beautiful pottery sherds on the ground. I would never think of picking up one of those sherds, or disturbing the sense of place in any way.
[There were approximately 40,000 ancestral pueblo people living along the northern Rio Grande when the spanish arrived in the mid-sixteenth century and attacked them. This was followed by more than 400 years of cultural destruction and other heinous acts. ]
I got to about page 60 and started feeling uncomfortable (the book is 197 pages total).
The author is a San Juan Pueblo (since renamed to Okay Owingeh Pueblo) Indian and anthropologist who is writing about his own people. It goes into great detail on the world view, spiritual beliefs (including prayers), and rituals of the Tewa people. When I started getting uncomfortable, I started googling and learned that many Tewa people felt betrayed by the disclosure of this information, while scholars praised the book.
It reminds me of when I have explored ancestral pueblo sites and there are sometimes beautiful pottery sherds on the ground. I would never think of picking up one of those sherds, or disturbing the sense of place in any way.
[There were approximately 40,000 ancestral pueblo people living along the northern Rio Grande when the spanish arrived in the mid-sixteenth century and attacked them. This was followed by more than 400 years of cultural destruction and other heinous acts. ]
June 7, 2021
This book is an explanation of the mythology, rituals, and cosmology of the Tewa people, and was written by a member of the largest Tewa Pueblo, San Juan.
I am sure that the 1970s anthropology community deeply appreciated this book. In fact I know they did - this book won the author a few awards. (For what it's worth, apparently some of the contemporary members of the San Juan Pueblo were not as pleased about this book being published).
However, as a non-anthropologist reading this in the 21st century this felt like a dense, dreary slog. Frankly I abandoned this on page 44; I just couldn't take it anymore.
If for some reason you need to read this book for your research then this might be useful. Otherwise, I would strongly recommend against it.
I am sure that the 1970s anthropology community deeply appreciated this book. In fact I know they did - this book won the author a few awards. (For what it's worth, apparently some of the contemporary members of the San Juan Pueblo were not as pleased about this book being published).
However, as a non-anthropologist reading this in the 21st century this felt like a dense, dreary slog. Frankly I abandoned this on page 44; I just couldn't take it anymore.
If for some reason you need to read this book for your research then this might be useful. Otherwise, I would strongly recommend against it.
December 14, 2007
My interest are the “objects” of reality if you will, the cultural treasures that are perceived or give order to a cosmology… its hard to define these “objects” in Western terms, since what I am searching for is very possibly outside of Western concepts… In the West these entities are generally thought to reside within the spheres of philosophical substance (substance that composes reality), consciousness, and their epistemic relationship. If looking for this type of thing... generally a good starting point is an origin story.... This book is of course about the Tewa origin story, rituals, and their tie to social organization and practice... Ortiz sets forth… a good piece within this books genera... it is prime!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews