Timeless Taos
Underneath it all, the earth remains the same
Look at the ground beneath your feet.
It appears to be plain old dirt. Toss some water on its
dry surface and, eventually, something is likely to grow.
There are creeks and rivers around here, too, water that
may have cascaded down the same canyons and valleys for
millennia. But each year there are subtle differences in
its course, elements of character shaped by variations in
weather, climate and geology. Up toward the mountains and
out across the mesa, you can see aspens, prairie grass,
sagebrush and pinon that have come and gone, and come back
again year after year, weaving a fine network of roots and
branches that binds the soil together.
Holding a handful of this dirt, try now to imagine it being
trodden upon by the feet of countless animals and tiny insects,
along with generation upon generation of human beings.
While some have believed this dirt to be the fine soft
skin of Mother Earth, a thing that cannot be owned, many
more have sought to possess and even die for what you hold
in your hand.
A long time ago, when the passage of days was noted as
part of a never-ending cycle of rituals, when history was
recorded in the important words expressed from adult to
child, the Tiwa-speaking people, whom others would name
"Taos Indians," emerged into this world and built their
adobe village at the foot of a mountain, along the banks
of a creek that originated at a place of high, sacred beauty.
No word exists in their language for religion. The ceremonials
they perform exist simply as part of what one does to keep
harmony within the universe.
And yet, their world was not without conflict. In fact,
the multi-storied homes they built were entered from the
roof and their complex warrior tradition offered protection
from attack.
Beginning in the 16th century, contact with Spanish colonists
thrust this world into unheard-of turmoil. Many of the Christian
priests who accompanied the colonists into what they termed
the New World saw the Indian rituals as evidence of satanic
influence. They exerted great pressure to convert the Indians
to the teachings of their God, some going so far as to cause
violence and death to anyone who opposed them or perpetuated
their beliefs.
But the Indians tolerated their presence because many were
made to see parallels between the Christian teachings and
their own. Still, the violence and persecution continued,
and coupled with increasing demands for tribute from Spanish
authorities, eventually, the Pueblo realm as a whole erupted
against their oppressors. That was how the Pueblo Revolt
of 1680 happened.
When the dust settled after the so-called reconquest 12
years later, both native and colonist increasingly became
blended through blood and community. Through times when
trade fairs and intermarriage found the word "Taoseno" used
to describe anyone from here, and when Spanish and Tiwa
were the dominant languages, there was an outlook that became
steadfast and true regarding this place and the people who
felt rooted here. On this earth.
(continued)
