Publication Date

5-16-1969

Abstract

The dissertation has a twofold purpose: to redress the lacuna in the social anthropological literature with respect to the Tiwa-speaking pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico, and to account for the persistence of this traditionally oriented community despite dependence upon a complex industrial society which is potentially conducive to sociocultural disorganization. To accomplish this dual aim, field work was conducted at Sandia for two and one-half years, during which observations were made of contemporary pueblo social relations and lengthy interviews were conducted with selected residents. The conceptual framework utilized stresses a structural-functional mode of analysis. With respect to the problem of persistence, this type of analysis involved examination of a series of adaptive features in the major institutional areas of Sandia social life. The structural-­functional approach was extended to include considerations of social networks in order to facilitate discussion of external interaction patterns between Sandias and members of the larger society. Adaptive features contributing to pueblo survival are apparent in all institutional areas of Sandia life. Sandia's theocratic authority system has remained essentially intact through maintenance mechanisms which include well-defined socialization procedures and formal and informal social control measures. At the same time, theocratic leaders have adjusted political office qualifications to include members of the younger, educated age group who represent them with respect to issues stemming from participation in the larger political system. Similarly, Sandia as a resource-holding corporation has retained control over its land assets, while leasing them to outsiders for profits which promote pueblo welfare. Moreover, adaptive features are evident in the kinship system. On the one hand, kinship norms are extended to encompass the entire community; on the other hand, the nuclear family has replaced the extended family as the effective economic focus for its members through resources derived from participation in the larger market economy. While nuclear family domestic organization represents an adjustment to changed subsistence modes, the persistence of traditional exchange practices which link nuclear families together provides continuity for solidary relations within the community. Analysis of the nature of change at Sandia suggests that the study may contribute to general theories of socio­cultural change. Sandia appears to represent a case of limited change, manifested in a series of adaptations to outside pressures which have enabled its critical institutional features to persist. The centralized theocratic system is the crucial Sandia institution, dominating the decision making process which vitally affects other dimensions of pueblo life. Thus, despite marked changes in other institutions, continuity of the norms and values imposed by the theocracy prevents radical transformations which could lead to a change in structural form. Consideration of the scope of change at Sandia suggests further that the meaning of the term conservative, frequently applied to southwestern pueblos, needs clarification. Sandia data indicate that the pueblo has shown considerable flexibility in adapting to external pressures, although the dominant theocratic system and traditional solidary patterns remain intact. If conservatism is to be a useful term for description and analysis, it is evident that its dimensions must be specified precisely for each empirical case. The Sandia pattern of theocratic conservatism accompanied by adaptive shifts in other social institutions is but one possibility. Social anthropological research among contemporary southwestern pueblos, especially in the Rio Grande region, is a particularly fertile field for the examination of hypotheses relating to social process, socio-cultural integration, and socio-cultural change.

Project Sponsors

A National Science Foundation Dissertation Grant

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Anthropology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Anthropology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Harry Wetherald Basehart

Second Committee Member

Philip K. Boch

Third Committee Member

Nancie L. Solien De Gonzalez

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