The Anasazi Indians Essay, Research Paper

The Anasazi Indians

From the scattered references made about the ancient Anasazi Indians in

Tony Hillerman’s A Thief of Time, one can identify several cultural

characteristics of this mysterious tribe. One can discover how they lived, where

they lived, their religion, simple day to day activities, and mysteries about

their culture. Even though many references are made about this tribe, people

will never know the truth, for there is an unsolved mystery to why the Anasazi

disappeared. Even to this day no one knows what happened to them.

The location of over 100,000 Anasazi sites have been found outside of

Bluff, Utah along the San Juan river. Anasazi Indians were very picky as to

where they lived. They chose to dwell in cliffs faced to catch the winter sun

and shaded in summer, with enough floodplain to grow something and a source of

water. These two story stone dwellings in cliffs were built large enough to fit

30 people in them. There is one odd fact about this: the Anasazi supposedly

carried roof beams more than 50 miles from the forests of Mt. Taylor and Chuskas.

These Indians lived as small scattered families of hunters and seed gatherers.

They developed agriculture, learned to make baskets and irrigate.

The Anasazi religion was very different compared to other religions of

the world. Anasazi Indians chose to bury their dead either in the trash or

against walls. The ghosts of the Anasazi were feared widely by most Navajos for

some reason. The oddest thing about the Anasazi is that they had some kind of

infatuation with a humpbacked, flute playing man named Kokopelli, or the

Watersprinkler. On many walls all over the area, a drawing of Kokopelli can be

found. These Indians also drew wide shouldered forms called Kackina Spirits, and

a “Big Chief” looking out from a red stained shield.

There were many odd things about this tribe, such as, “Why did these

people disappear after being around for over 1,000 years?” No one knows where

they went, but we do know they built roads. They didn’t have wheels nor pack

animals. We also know they lived in a land of little wood and water. The

Anasazi made very exquisite pots, but they made very odd drawings on them. Some

pots were of a deep rounded form, painted on the interior in rose with wavy pale

“ghost lines”. They had a geometric pattern enclosing two interlocked spirals,

with two hatched, serrated rectangles below the rim. Because of the oddness and

rarity of these pots, some were priced higher than $15,000. Some of the Weirdest

things about these Indians is that they had too many fingers an extra tooth on

the right lower side, and a hole in the lower jaw.

As said in the introduction, no one knows what happened to these Indians.

Many believe they just disappeared, or were abducted by aliens, but no one knows,

and probably will never know what happened. Regardless of what scientists find,

nothing can prove the truth, except for the truth. So until the truth is found,

the Anasazi remain to be one of the most mysterious tribes ever known to man.