User:Morgbwoodard/Mimbrenos

Mimbreño's are a Native American tribe that was a specific band from the apache tribe. They were located in present day New Mexico in the narrow Valley of the mimbres river. This specific band of mimbrenos are the tchihende band. There is another band of Mimbrenos named the Chiricauhua mimbrenos which are slightly different.



Material Culture and Architecture
Mimbrenos cared a lot about their artwork and took a lot of time to make things. A big thing they used was adobe. They created very intricate pottery from and would decorate it. They would make bowls and use them in burials as well. For the pottery they also had different color schemes to represent different things. The pottery is what many scholars recognize the mimbres culture through. Stone was another important tool they used to create weapons. Often they would create axes, hammers, and spades all from stone. They would then use this to hunt down animals or everyday tasks. Clay and metal also were materials they would use quite often. Decorated clay tablets would be used to inscribe messages or even game boards for during leisure time. Bones from the animals they hunted would also be used as decoration around their home or even as a weapon to hunt down more animals.

Their houses were mostly made out of adobe and stone. They would level off the ground and build the walls up around the ground from which they leveled. Their houses were usually in groups near the river. Their adobe houses are also known as Pueblo. The roofs of the house were typically something heavy like metal. They also contained fireplaces in the middle which would be dug out from the floor and contented stone or adobe.

Many scholars view Mimbreño's and their culture to be overall peaceful and defensive towards war and destruction. Which is similar to their whole group they were considered to be apart of which were the apaches.

Spiritual Culture
As most cultures find the afterlife and its transitions fairly important Mimbreño's are no different. Mimbreño's would have burials for the people who have passed and would place them in a seated position. Though this did not happen all of the time it was fairly common. Notable people with special items would also be buried with utinsels to take with them into the next life. They would as mentioned earlier place bowls that would be decorated in the place of burial of people as a symbol of recognition and to honor the person's passing on this earth.

Mimbreno's and their beliefs in the afterlife were important given there specific burials and special items they would place with the deceased for them to take along with them into the afterlife. This shows their belief that they thought what they placed with the dead individual would be carried with them into the after or next life for them to use. It is believed that Mimbreño's wanted to maintain a peaceful lifestyle shown through very little destruction or signs or war. It appears to scholars as though they would take part in leisure activities to fill their extra time like pottery and art versus war.

The designs on the pottery the Mimbreño's created is interpreted by many scholars to show what their beliefs are and hold to high regard. Since there are many different designs scholars are able to predict what they saw as important. Some of their pottery had intricate geometric shapes which led scholars to believe that they held a strong importance with emotion and their beliefs. Zoomorphic decorations were a popular type of design the mimbreño's would use.

Innovations
The Mimbreno's developed their own irrigation system. In order for them to grow their own food without having to go and gather it. This irrigation system made it possible for the Mimbreno's to stay in one place and actually better for them to stay in one place. This is different to other tribes that would have to be more nomadic because they needed to find different food sources. There is very solid evidence that this irrigation system was important to their survival and society as a whole. In the end however, the irrigation system failed because of it is believed by other scholars that they did not sufficienty use the Mimbres River fully and that big pars of the river was not even being utilized.