A:shiwi A:wan Museum & Heritage Center

08/03/2026

Good morning, we would like to inform the community and interested visitors that the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center is currently closed.
We are upgrading our electrical system and power is turned off for the majority of the day.
Power should be restored by the end of the day.
We will reopen tomorrow, August 4th at 8 AM.
Thank you for your understanding.

07/17/2026

We are excited to see the amazing celebration to end Zuni Youth Enrichment Project (ZYEP)’s summer camp.
As posted previously, we had the honor to present some of our resources with the campers. We also had an activity that relates to the summer season here in Zuni.
Campers got to color images that they may see in and around our village.
From our short time with the kids, we can confidently say we have some amazingly intelligent and creative minds in our community.
Feel free to come by and see some of thier work.
Monday-Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.

07/15/2026

A very special shoutout to our current AAMHC Si intern, Cassandra Tsalate!
We would also like the community to know Cassandra is the first Shiwi/Zuni (to our knowledge) Smithsonian intern that is placed at our museum.
We are hopeful to keep internships open for others in our community.
Feel free to schedule a tour with us.
More amazing work from Ms. Tsalate to come.

Meet 2026 American Indigenous Tourism & Hospitality Scholarship recipient Cassandra Tsalate, Pueblo of Zuni.

Cassandra is attending the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where she is majoring in museum studies. A potter from Zuni Pueblo, Cassandra is passionate about preserving and revitalizing cultural traditions through artwork, language, agriculture, history, and museum work.

Her creative practice reflects Ancestral Puebloan pottery traditions, historical Zuni pottery styles, and contemporary innovation.

Congratulations, Cassandra!

Learn more about the scholarship program: https://americanindigenoustourism.org/scholarship/

07/10/2026

AAMHC staff members, (intern and summer workers) had a chance to work alongside our Colleagues over at ZYEP’s Summer Camp this morning.
We interacted with the summer camp participants and presented a few of our resources.
We also had a chance to provide a hands on activity where campers got to color images that are related to the summer season. All images show the importance of water and we hope to share those in the near future.
We plan to display images in our front exhibition space and possibly on the exterior walls of the museum.
If you haven’t noticed we are actively working on improvements to our building. Special thanks to the Pueblo of Zuni Facility workers for installing a new door and replacing the weathered deck.
More improvements to come.

07/07/2026

Repost! A great day to give thanks to our resilient ancestry. Because of them, we are still here and carry on the culture we have.

Many Historians know that a large expedition came into Zuni lands in July of 1540. A few documents suggest that this expedition, led by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado entered the village of Hawikku (Hawikuh), on July 7, 1540. If these records are accurate, today we celebrate, not the contact, we celebrate that we still exist as A:shiwi.
The expedition was in search of the fabled, Cities of Gold, from previous smaller expeditions. This of course was inaccurate information.
The Coronado expedition included, several hundred Spanish soldiers and close to a thousand indigenous slaves. Added to this was several herds of domesticated animals like; Horses, Sheep, Pigs, Cows and other animals. Different food and cooking methods were also introduced. Our outside ovens were introduced by the Spaniards.
We have found in different books that our A:biła Shiwanni (warriors/protectors) met the expedition and drew a line of cornmeal to prevent the expedition from entering the village. Language differences, cultural barriers, exhausted explorers and possibly other influences led to a battle. It is noted that Coronado tried to enter the village and was met with stones and arrows that almost took his life.
The battle did not last long and it is written that Spanish weapons were far superior causing our ancestors to retreat and leave the village. Some evidence suggest our ancestors sought refuge on Dowa Yalanne.
While all of the documented details are from Spanish journals. Our community and the people that keep the culture our ancestry fought so hard to preserve, still remains today.

The following compiled images are from our Zuni Day School collection and give you a sense of the teachings our now elders learned on Spanish contact. A few of our A:shiwi followers may recognize the authors of the schoolwork.

We hope this post on A:shiwi history gives our community members a sense of appreciation to our culture and respect the knowledge that is gifted from elders. We also understand some history can be upsetting but using this as an educational moment and focus on learning from the past for a better future.

07/02/2026

In honor of Governor’s day we looked into some history on the Cane that our Da:bubu or Governor holds.
While some of the history is a little unclear, we have managed to find some interesting facts about the Governor’s cane.
While the Governor’s cane was bestowed by President Abraham Lincoln to all Pueblo tribes, they were not handed to the Pueblo Governors by President Lincoln himself. Superintendent of Indian Territories of New Mexico, Dr. Micheal Steck delivered the canes in 1864.
The canes were made in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and at the time cost around $5.50 for each cane.
Our Lt. Governor and respective Tribal Council have canes as well and all have a interesting history as well.
The Canes originated by Spanish influences and is continued today.
The attached photo is the Governor’s cane and part of the Museum’s Photo Archives. We estimate the photo is from around the early to mid 1900’s.

We hope these facts initiate a good conversation to all that see the post. If you would like to recognize a family member that served in Tribal Government, please feel free to comment their position and years served. We understand some administrations have had some challenging years and respectfully ask commenters to be respectful.
Elahkwa (Thank you) to our current Governor Arden Kucate, all previous governors, Lt. Governors and their respective tribal council members.

Enjoy your holiday, be safe.

In honor of Governor’s day we looked into some history on the Cane that our Da:bubu or Governor holds.
While some of the history is a little unclear, we have managed to find some interesting facts about the Governor’s cane.
While the Governor’s cane was bestowed by President Abraham Lincoln to all Pueblo tribes, they were not handed to the Pueblo Governors by President Lincoln himself. Superintendent of Indian Territories of New Mexico, Dr. Micheal Steck delivered the canes in 1864.
The canes were made in Philadelphia Pennsylvania and at the time cost around $5.50 for each cane.
Our Lt. Governor and respective Tribal Council have canes as well and all have a interesting history as well.
The Canes originated by Spanish influences and is continued today.
The attached photo is the Governor’s cane and part of the Museum’s Photo Archives. We estimate the photo is from around the early to mid 1900’s.

We hope these facts initiate a good conversation to all that see the post. If you would like to recognize a family member that served in Tribal Government, please feel free to comment their position and years served. We understand some administrations have had some challenging years and respectfully ask commenters to be respectful.

Enjoy your holiday, be safe.

07/02/2026

A very interesting video that affirms our connections to land, people and our ancestry.