A modern Indian dance, with masked figures, as seen by a Pueblo artist.
(Photo of a sketch by Pablita Velarde.)

Life of the Early People at Bandelier

The typical male inhabitant of Frijoles Canyon in the early 1300's, then, was a newcomer to the area. He was a man of Mongoloid cast of countenance, about 5 feet 4 or 5 inches in height, with medium red-brown skin and black hair. His wife measured 5 feet or perhaps a little less, and was inclined to a stout build. A few children and a dog or two completed the family circle. These newcomers had arrived in their chosen valley with only such belongings as they could carry on their backs, and were immediately faced with the problems of wresting a livelihood from a somewhat grudging environment. In the pattern of all mankind before and since, this Indian migrant's first requirements were food, water, shelter, and clothing for himself and his family.

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Last Modified: Sat, Jan 6 2001 10:00:00 am PDT http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/hh/23/hh23d.htm