Laguna (Western Keres: Kawaik) is a Native American tribe of the Pueblo people in west-central New Mexico, USA. The name, Laguna, is Spanish (meaning "lake") and derives from the lake located on their reservation. The real Keresan name of the tribe is "Kawaik." The population of the tribe exceeds 7,000 (enrollment), making it the largest Keresan speaking tribe. Mission San José de la Laguna was erected by the Spanish at the old pueblo (now Old Laguna), finished around July 4, 1699.
The Laguna people 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. While many Native Americans love basketball, Lagunas and other Pueblos enjoy baseball. Like many Pueblos, the Laguna people are skilled in pottery.
Laguna Industries Inc., a construction company owned by the Pueblo of Laguna, is 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, San Antonio, Texas, Houston, Baghdad and Amman, Jordan. In 2007, Laguna Construction employed 75 people, most of whom belong to the pueblo [1].
The Acoma Pueblo 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 system. The Pueblo of Laguna has participated as a "Weed and Seed" tribe[citation needed]. This Department of Justice program studied the enforcement of law and effectiveness of social programs on Native American lands.
Their reservation lies in parts of four counties: In descending order of included land area they are Cibola, Sandoval, Valencia and Bernalillo Counties. It includes the six villages of Encinal, Laguna, Mesita, Paguate, Paraje and Seama, and had a total population of 3,815 persons as of the 2000 census. The reservation is 45 miles (75 km) west of the city of Albuquerque. The total land area is 2,013.008 km² (777.227 sq mi).
The Irish surname Riley was adopted by many members of the Laguna tribe in the 1800s, for legal use in Anglo culture, while retaining their Laguna names in tribal use.
Contents |
Communities
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 is shared with nearby Acoma Pueblo.
Language
Lagunas speak a Keresan language (this language family is a linguistic isolate).
Laguna Development Corporation
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 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 County, Bernalillo, Valencia and Sandoval counties.
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 Albuquerque. Other Laguna Development businesses provide basic services to local tribal communities.
Notable Laguna Pueblo members
- Paula Gunn Allen, author
- DeHaven Solimon Chaffins, artist[2]
- Lee Francis, author, educator, researcher
- Michael Kanteena, potter
- Lee Marmon, photographer
- Leslie Marmon Silko, author
- Shayai Lucero, Miss Indian World 1997, small business owner
See also
References
- Laguna Pueblo and Off-Reservation Trust Land, New Mexico United States Census Bureau
- Notable Native Americans
External links
- Pueblo of Laguna Website
- Laguna Department of Education
- Laguna Pueblo links, an extensive list by Will Karkavelas, Osaka University
- Historic photos of San Jose de la Laguna Mission Church & Convento, by Historic American Buildings Survey.
- More historic photos of Pueblo of Laguna are available here.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
