The Laguna Pueblo ( Western Keres: Kawaika ʰɑwɑjkʰɑ is 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 United ...

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, Zun ...

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, Ker ...

, 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 territorie ...

. 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 language, Southern Tiwa), is a metropolitan area in central New Mexico centered on the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque. The ...

, chiefly around Laguna's

Route 66 U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...

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, Cana ...

(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 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'' (meaning 'newl ...

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

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 com ...

) 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

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

s. 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 Laguna (Italian and Spanish for lagoon) may refer to: People * Abe Laguna (born 1992), American DJ known as Ookay * Andrés Laguna (1499–1559), Spanish physician, pharmacologist, and botanist * Ana Laguna (born 1955), Spanish-Swedish ballet d ...

* New Laguna, New Mexico * Mesita *

Paguate Paguate is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 421 at the 2010 census. Geography Paguate is located in northeastern Cibola County at (35.137298, -107.370921), within the lands of Lagun ...

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 In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

, 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 por ...

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 each ...

. 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 Indian Reorganization Act (IRA) of June 18, 1934, or the Wheeler–Howard Act, was U.S. federal legislation that dealt with the status of American Indians in the United States. It was the centerpiece of what has been often called the "Indian ...

. 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, United States secretary of the interior. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she s ...

, 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 Tr ...

(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 Leland Howard Marmon (September 20, 1925 – March 31, 2021) was a Native American photographer and author. Marmon is known for his black-and-white portraits of tribal elders. Marmon's works have appeared in galleries, books, and magazines, inc ...

, 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