Comparison of the Acoma Pueblo and Shawnee Nation's Rites of Passage



This paper compares and contrasts the Acoma Pueblo and Shawnee Nation's Rites of Passage. For this purpose it will discuss birth, adulthood, marriage and death of both. Shawnee culture made many changes once they were introduced to European influence. Native Americans tend to see the world as having infinite space and time those cycles through seasons, and the four cardinal directions. On the other hand the Pueblo, believed to have been established in the 12th century or even earlier, was chosen in part because of its defensive position against raiders. It is regarded as the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. (Charles, 77) Access to the pueblo is difficult as the faces of the mesa are sheer. Before modern times access was gained only by means of a hand-cut staircase carved into the sandstone. To the Native American, all of life is spiritual. Spiritual concerns have always rested at the heart of Native American life. Their faith and spiritual beliefs are consummated in a holistic, cosmic view of the universe. Most Native Americans regard the earth as their mother and believe that land cannot be owned.

Comparison

There are several interpretations of origin of the name "Acoma". Some believe that the name Acoma comes from the Keresan words for the People of the White Rock, with aa'ku meaning white rock, and meh meaning people. Others believe that the word aa'ku actually comes from the word haaku meaning to prepare; a description that would accurately reflect the defensive position of the mesa's inhabitants. Today, fewer than 50 tribal members live year-round in the earthen homes of Sky City. Those living in the community tend to the massive San Estévan del Rey Mission, completed in 1640. (www.nr.nps.gov) both the mission and pueblo have been designated as a Registered National Historical Landmarks. Nearly 3,000 additional tribal members live in the nearby villages of Acomita, McCarty's and Anzac. (Charles, 77)

Shawnee funeral services were usually lenghty vigils that included songs, ceremonial dances, and speeches recollecting and honoring the deceased's life. Bodies of tribe members were always buried uncremated, most commonly in an east-west orientation, and great efforts were made to retrieve the corpses of warriors after battles, as it was considered highly disrespectful to leave a body unburied. The male participants of the dance entered in single file, clad in striking costumes of the finest doeskin, which had been sun bleached almost white and well decorated with intricate beadwork, interwoven with feathers, shells, porcupine quills, and shiny brass baubles. They were barefoot, and those with long hair were wearing it loose to their shoulders and combed to a gloss that reflected the firelight. Their was no ornamentation in their hair, not in the short tufted hair of those who had shaved their heads except for the crest and temple patch. (www.nr.nps.gov) None wore any kind of necklace, but all wore wide bracelets and upper arm bands of beaten silver as well as strands of ...