Collection: Pojoaque

Pojoaque (Po-Suwae-Geh)

Pojoaque Pueblo is one of six northern Tewa-speaking Pueblos along the Rio Grande. Founded in the early 1600s, the Pueblo was known as “Po-suwae-geh,” meaning the water drinking or gathering place.Since the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, the Pueblo has been abandoned three times, most recently in the early 20th century, because ofillness and lack of water and land for agriculture.Pojoaquewas resettled between 1932-34, and in 1936the Pueblo received federal recognition as a tribal reservation. In recent decades, the Pueblo has experienced a revitalization of its culture business and economy, as a result of successful commercial enterprises and the efforts of the renowned Poeh Cultural Center. The Poeh has provided arts education to Native artists of many Pueblos and tribes, making a significant contribution to the growth of traditional and contemporary Native American arts. Pojoaque’s traditions are being celebrated and preserved through the Poeh’s commitment to teaching their Native language, traditional song and dance. Today there are a few potters creating blackware, polychrome and micaceous pottery using traditional methods.