Small Kiva

by Debby Pueschel

Title

Small Kiva

Artist

Debby Pueschel

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Prehistorically, there was typically about one kiva for every 15 to 50 domestic structures.

However, many of the kivas were used by the women to grind corn, or other grains raised by the families. They also may have been rooms used by the women in the cold seasons to weave rugs and keep the children.

In some Puebloan dwellings, each family unit had their own kiva. When this occurred, I do not know. However, the soundness of these structures as to ventilation and the ability to circulate air is truly an invention that we all can learn.

In modern pueblos, the number of kivas varies for each village. Kiva ceremonies today are mainly performed by male community members, although women and visitors can attend some of the performances. Among Eastern Pueblo groups kivas are usually round in shape, but among Western Puebloan groups (such as Hopi and Zuni) they are usually square.
Although it is difficult to generalize across the entire American southwest over time, kivas likely function(ed) as meeting places, structures used by subsets of the community for a variety of socially integrative and domestic activities. Larger ones, called Great Kivas, are larger structures typically built by and for the whole community. They are typically greater than 30 m square in floor area.

This specific Kiva, located in Chaco Canyon is overgrown with wild oats, and beautiful desert flowers.

Uploaded

December 2nd, 2017

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