Be first to grab this opportunity to do cross-cultural ministry in the U.S. It’s rare to find a mission supported by a host who is so knowledgeable in Native customs and culture. He brings to us a truly active Zuni youth group of about 20, with a core of eight teens fully committed to Jesus. We have much to learn from them.
Your team is going to spend most of their time with the Zuni youth group, not all of whom follow Jesus. But they’re a great bunch of kids who
are looking forward to showing you their pueblo and the summer scene in Gallup. You’ll also spend a lot of time with Zuni teens at Dusty Pines, our host’s rustic Christian camp, way out in the Arizona woods. The camp is a great venue for fellowship and fun with local young people, including overnight stays. The camp usually needs some minor work done, an opportunity to meet tangible needs while working alongside Zuni teens.
The team will meet people from nearby Navajo communities, but most contact with Native people will be with the Zuni.
The Zuni refer to themselves as the A:shiwi, meaning “the flesh.” Most of the 12,000 tribal members live in a pueblo village on the banks of the Zuni River in New Mexico. They are believed to be the descendants of the ancient Anasazi people. Archaeological evidence shows that they have lived in their present location for about 1,300 years. Traditional members speak the Zuni language, a linguistic isolate—no other language bears any resemblan
ce. The Zuni call their pueblo Idiwanna, which means The Center Place.
Women are thought of as the life of the tribe. Men do all of the hunting, building, and gathering of necessities. But when they are done, whatever they have caught, collected, or built belongs to the women. They are the ones who do all of the trading with different tribes and take care of financial issues and problems. This is quite a departure from most modern societies.
