? Each kiva. Turquoise
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or Squash, had a ruler or cacique whose word was absolute.
He was the father of the village to whom villagers looked for
guidance and his appointment was for life. The moieties
were under the spiritual guidance of the two town chiefs
who were responsible for the welfare of
the people. An important
office was that of cacique. He had been chosen because
of his thorough knowledge of Chants, sacred rituals,
ceremonial procedure and p
- rayers. No one doubted the word
of the cacique. And all Indians owed duties to their respective
kivas. Although the groups. Turquoise and Squash,
were in opposition they also depended upon one another for
the common good of the pueblo.
If the dual system was in vogue at Tyuonyi, there must
have been two kivas to support it. A peculiar thing, it seems,
took place here. At least one tribal kiva was built and
was in use before the Great Period of occupation came
along. It was a large structure forty-two fe
- et in diameter.
Sixty Indians could have crouched down around the inside
against the wall. Indian men, years before, excavated a large
concave depression in the side of a hill a hundred yards or
so down
- the Canyon from Puwige. Days and days were required
to bring in thousands of cobble stones. They labored
untiringly. They brought them from the river and they
brought chunks from the cliff. Around this deep concave
depression which they ha