ABSTRACT
This chapter situates Zuni art forms as extensions of the epistemological understanding, which forms their identity as desert people. Zuni arts recognize the immense importance of water and display an unabashed continual reaffirmation of the spiritual connections their arts make to their ancestral homelands, what Zunis know as the Middle Place. The history and memory of the journey to our present-day home is recounted in prayers and acknowledged in annual ceremonies for thousands of years. This chapter argues that it is precisely these tangible connections made through the arts that have helped the Zuni community to retain a great deal of linguistic, ecological, spiritual and cultural knowledge despite nearly 500 years of continuous colonial contact. As much as the world enjoys studying and collecting Zuni art, it does not compare to the amount of strength Zuni people draw from the arts made in the Middle Place.
