The thing that strikes out to me most in this opening chapter were the numerous references comparing natural things such as the weather patterns, to the natural processes of intercourse and giving birth.  There are even two ceremonies a year, one in January and the other in September celebrating this comparability.  "Throughout the next two days the women danced to awaken the sky's (men's) desires so that it would pour forth it's rain (semen).  The women would...taunt the men with lewd songs to the clouds (rain, semen) and lightning (penis)."  This comparison I argue was a way for the Pueblo Indians to relate the natural world of the sun, sky, rain etc. together with their own daily lives.  I think the Pueblos felt a strong connection to the natural world because they relied so heavily on it to survive.  They needed the rain to germinate their crops and provide them with water in the arid climate to survive.  The Pueblo Indians related this cycle of rain and rebirth in the crops to the cycle of life to the act of sexual reproduction within themselves to continue producing sons and daughters for the tribe.  Sexual intercourse, for the Pueblo Indians, was a symbol of cosmic harmony.  It "united in balance all the masculine forces of the sky with all the feminine forces of the earth."  Reaching orgasm I argue could have brought a sense of euphoria and feeling of other-worldliness, relating themselves to the Gods.  The creation story even depicts Nautsiti having drops of rain entering her body, conceiving twin sons.  This story clearly shows the intertwining of the natural forces of rain producing crops, and men and women creating children and how important it was to the society as a whole. 

The last thought I have in my mind that I feel like sharing is a country song by Luke Bryan titled "Rain is a Good Thing," the lyrics go a little something like this "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes my baby feel a little frisky. Back roads are boggin' up, my buddies pile up in my truck. We hunt our honeys down, we take 'em into town, start washin' all our worries down the drain. Raiiiiiiin is a good thing."

Sean Crews

The practice of bloodletting permeates many civilizations from ancient through modern times, and the Pueblo Indians were no exception. The act of bloodletting to our society, and frankly to me as well, seems rather barbaric. Why is the practice of bloodletting such a hallmark feature of many civilizations? As I delved into the reading and attempted to empathize with the Pueblo Indians, I came to possible conclusions as to why this phenomenon ubiquitously reoccurs, particularly in Pueblo Indian society. I argue that blood is the ultimate facet of life to both men and women of this society whereas the narrative states that feeding and sex were the two most important facets for women specifically. Also, the methods in which they utilized bloodletting are arguably sensible for the time period in which they were performed.

The creation story delineates the first example of a form of bloodletting. According to Pueblo Indian legend, Uchtsiti created the world by “throwing a clot of blood into space.” Therefore, blood appears to be the most important factor in Pueblo Indian society because the world blossomed from it. Even the Gods possessed blood which is not the case with many deities of various civilizations.

Another example of the importance of bloodletting in their culture occurs during the Snake Dance ceremony. From the text, researchers argue that bloodletting served two purposes: to induce hallucinations bringing participants closer to the spiritual realm and to cleanse and purify their own bodies. Specifically, they believed that blood from the penis induced the most rains. I speculate that the combination of the importance of blood combined with the powerful views they had on sexuality provided the quickest path to the Gods.

As I stated above, I argue that blood was the most important factor in Pueblo Indian culture during this time period. Blood literally spawns all life in Pueblo Indian culture, so it is obvious why they exploited it through various “barbaric” (in a contemporary sense) methods. Therefore, blood represents life and is necessary before one can place such a high value on feeding and sexuality.

Destry Elms

In Part I of When Jesus Came, the Corn Mothers Went Away, Ramon A. Gutierrez discusses many aspects of the Pueblo Indian world in the sixteenth century.  Perhaps one of the most prominent aspects discussed is that of sexuality.  The sexual concept begins at birth when a ceremony is held in which a boy’s penis is sprinkled with water at birth and a girl’s vulva is covered with a seed-filled gourd.  This relates to when the “clouds (men) poured down their rain (semen) the seeds (women) would germinate and come to life.”  A common theme of sexuality continues on throughout life in that sex is the most important activity for women, after feeding the family.  A woman gives her body to her husband because of the respect and work he has shown and done for her mother.  A woman gives her body to someone other than her husband in exchange for a type of good such as meat or blankets.  Through sex a woman keeps the household going, thus making sex a vital part in continuing a harmonious way of life.   The men and women connect on a level that is one of tantamount.  They reach a moment where all is in balance.  The Pueblo Indians neither shame erotic behavior nor promote modesty.  Sexuality is even brought in to play during times of war.  Men, returning from war, bring the scalps of the slain enemy.  The women proceed to touch their genitalia with the scalp and even make gestures of sexual intercourse with the scalps.  This activity “was to take power away from the enemy.”  While sex can be used as a fortress of power for men and women, it can at the same time act as a method of destruction, robbing others of their power.  During the sixteenth century, sex was a tool that ran the entirety of the society, somehow relating to every part of duties in life.

Anna Bardrick

Relative to the probably unchanged geography they inhabited, the culture, religion, and society of New Mexico would most likely be unrecognizable to the Pueblo Indians that used to live and migrate around the area. Given a snapshot of their culture and religion by Ramon Gutierrez in his book, When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away it was obvious to me that the interplay between genders is a significant part of their culture, inspiring traditions that pushed and pulled the genders to relative social equality. I would argue, however, that the females of the Pueblo culture had a slightly more respected status, even though they did not occupy political positions.   

From reading Gutierrez’s book, the notion of debt and repayment seems pervasive in the Pueblo culture—it is a kind of trading system revolving around the reciprocation of gifts.  It is through this lens of debt and repayment that the dynamics of the gender rolls can be analyzed. When reading Gutierrez’s account, the concept of Yin and Yang is essentially described, a principle in many eastern religions. That is to say that the interplay Gutierrez stresses is exceedingly close, showing that one relies on the other to exist and they complement each other in their oppositeness.

The two genders are assigned their symbiotic roles from birth, their afterbirth being literally planted in the place they are to work in their adult capacities. The males are charged with agricultural responsibilities and utilitarian affairs along with government and religious positions, while the female’s realm is in domestic affairs including even the construction of houses. Keeping the principle of debt and repayment in mind and noting that their very religious account of creation begins with two women giving birth to the to the Pueblo people, it is women that continue to bear males, and it is the women who have command of the houses that the males live in, the balance of reciprocation seems upset. I would argue that it is the females who, even though the males operate in a political capacity, are holding a larger share of the community’s reigns.

Jared Hooley