Tewa zigzags and encircled gardens
“The name Avanyu, or Awanyu, literally means "water
serpent" in the language of the Tewa Indians.[1] Avanyu was the deity of
rain and lightning, of the river ways and water sources. His symbolic
representation is found on pottery as early as A. D. 1000[2] in the form of a
zigzagged horned and feathered serpent that shoots lightning from his mouth.
Archaeologist Polly Schaafsma, author of the essay
"Quetzalcoatl and the Horned and Feathered Serpent of the Southwest",
has this to say about Avanyu:
“The horned serpent continues to be revered as an important
deity among the Pueblos and is known by various names among the different
linguistic groups, including Kolowisi (Zuni), Paaloloqangw (Hopi), and Awanyu
(Tewa)..."[3]
If these descriptions are sounding familiar, it is because
there are many serpent deities in ancient North and South America that share
common traits.
In our "Serpent Sanctuary" article we focused on
the serpent deities that were associated with fire, the heavens, and wisdom.
But there are just as many serpent deities that are associated more with water...”
Snakes in the architecture, the "landscape furniture," the Indigenous Stone Structures??
hopi gardens
To the Tanoan language speakers along the Rio Grande, this
mythical horned and plumed serpent Awanyu appears as a flash flood, winding its
way down an arroyo after a heavy rain. It is a water serpent both feared and
respected. He lives in springs, ponds and rivers and when angered can cause
heavy rains destroying crop fields. Among the Rio Grande Pueblos Awanyu appears
in their rock art and pottery motifs from as early as A D 1350, and has continued
to the present day. Figure 11a and 11b are depictions of Awanyu in the cliff
face at Tsirege and a contemporary pot from Santa Clara pueblo.
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