How Anasazi Indians Arts Reflect Their Culture - Essay Example

How Anasazi Indians arts reflect their culture Introduction Anasazi Indians are ancient Native Americans who had a distinct culture and were concentrated in four major regions, namely Utah, Arizona, Mexico, and Colorado (Maestri 2). They had a long history dating back in 1 AD (Maestri 3). Similarly, they have a rich history, which is different from others because of their characteristics and culture. For instance, their culture is characterized by lifestyle, art, architecture, roads among others (Maestri 3). Hence, this essay will address the Anasazi Indians culture by focusing on their arts, architecture, and music. Art Work Anasazi Indians practiced artwork, which was different from other tribes, hence giving them a uniqueness. For instance, they practiced pottery used for cooking or storage. The potteries were smooth and unpainted (Linda 18-19). Similarly, Anasazi Indians decorated pottery with black paints on a white background between 500 to 1300 CE (Maestri 5). They decorated their pottery using fine hatching and contrasted them using a mineral-based paint. Tall cylinders also characterize the community for ceremonial purposes. The narrow-necked jar was used for storing or drinking liquids (Linda 18-19). Additionally, this community also created pictographs and petroglyphs such as “sun dagger” that allowed sunlight to pass (Brian 35). The sitting of the dagger on the Petroglyph varied throughout the year to symbolize different positions of the sun and different seasons of the year (Brian 35). For instance, dagger-shaped light form pierces through the heart of the spiral during summer; this is an indication that it serves different purposes, and the community identified themselves with the different positions. Sun daggers also marked winter and equinoxes hence were important for the community in marking the events or the four seasons (Maestri 9). Architecture Architecture is also another aspect that defines the cultures of Anasazi since they were uniquely designed within the community spaces (Brian 35). The ancient community settlements were based on apartments-like structures made of stones and other local materials (Brian 35). The ancient towns were multi-storied building and served multipurpose as they also surrounded the open plaza; people occupied them (Brian 35). Similarly, they served the purpose of hosting cultural and civil events important for this community (Brian 35). The Anasazi Indians architectural structures marked by villages and towns acted as defense symbols because of their locations (Bureau of Land Management 6). For example, some were placed in strategic positions to provide defense, such as Mesa Verde, found in Mexico (Bureau of Land Management 6). During the 13th centuries, the complexes were used as cultural centers for the community (Bureau of Land Management 6). In other cases, some complexes remained to be the landmark in the regions where they were erected. For instance, Chacoan was made of sandstone blocks supported by timber to a higher distance to make fifteen complexes, which remained the biggest construction in North America until the 19th century (Bureau of Land Management 9). Because of this notion, they served as pillars that defined the community. Anasazi Indians had many forms of architects that served many purposes and built in designated areas within the community. For instance, the community had cliff dwellings, housing, defensive and storage complexes (Brian 35). These structures were built in shallow caves along canyon walls and contained hard sandstone as the raw materials (Brian 35). Similarly, these structures served the role of integrating the community together as their population surged (Linda 18-19). The structures made it easy to defend the quarters, hence maintaining security. The structures also conformed to the architectural design of the community and most of the cliffs were designed to accommodate 100 people who shared smaller rooms in order to conserve space (Linda 18-19). Despite the cliffs being the major housing units, not everybody lived there as others colonize the canyon slopes. Besides, Anasazi Indians had structures called “great houses” and they maintained core traits with time (Linda 18-19). One of their main features is the sheer bulk, which made them have average over 200 rooms, enclosed with over 700 others (Linda 18-19). It contained individual rooms with high ceilings, and they had a good planning with wings erected on a single stage. They were also built facing south, and the plaza complexes were built using long walls for security (Linda 18-19). The houses were between four to five stories up the sky and the plaza were single storied to allow for visibility and other actions as may be required (Linda 18-19). The community also builds ceremonial structures such as “kivas” in regards to the number of rooms in the community (Linda 18-19). For instance, one "Kiva" was built for every 29 rooms. Music Music is one of the cultural practices that define most communities all over the world. For instance, every community has a certain music that it sings and dances that is unique to it. Anasazi Indians are also one of the communities that have a distinct music sang at different occasions. This community sang songs in worshiping places as well as in celebration occasions (Lochness Production 5). They sang in praise of the heroes as well as during annual festivals. Songs made a special contribution during mourning of the dead as well as when working to meet a certain objective. For instance, they used music and other forms of sound to bind them together in times of difficulties (Lochness Production 7). Anasazi Indians were ritual and righteous people and were warriors making them have a song sang when working or defending their community (Lochness Production 5). This took place before the occupation of Spanish colonies that moved them further to the south. Anasazi Indians also composed music using traditional instruments such as drums, flutes, and voices (Lochness Production 6). There were no accompaniment or instruments used during this time and members of the community identified themselves with the messages from the song. This helped the community to pursue what they wanted through music. For instance, they composed songs and dances to act as appreciation to the gods and the universe about the precious commodities such as water (Lochness Production 7). This was one form or reason, which made this community compose songs and dances. Hence, music played an important part in defining the cultures of this community as well as distinguishing it from the rest of the communities or tribes in the region. Conclusion Anasazi Indians are ancient communities that lived in some parts of America assimilated by other strong cultures or tribes. This community had a distinct lifestyle and culture characterized by the architect, music, and arts. They made artworks such as guards, jars, vessels, and bowls among others that distinguished them from other cultures. Similarly, multistory and clustered buildings near cliff walls characterized their architectural design. Some of them were reached using wooden ladders. They also had squared structures referred as “kivas” used for ceremonial rooms. Works Cited Brian, Fagan. Chaco Canyon: Archeologists Explore the Lives of an Ancient Society. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. Print. Bureau of Land Management. Who were the Anasazi? 2015. Web. 2015. Linda, Cordell. Ancient Pueblo Peoples. Washington DC: Smithsonian Books, 1994. Print. Lochness Production. Anasazi. 2015. Web. 2015. Maestri, Nicoletta. Anasazi: an introduction to ancestral Publoan societies. 2014. Web. 2015. Read More