Why Do We Call Them Kivas? with Dr. Steve Lekson, Dr. Susan Ryan, and Lyle Balenquah

Kivas are one of the most iconic architectural features of the Pueblo Southwest. Join us as Susan Ryan, Steve Lekson, and Lyle Balenquah explore their ancient signatures and offer perspectives on how they have been interpreted within the discipline of archaeology as well as how they function within Pueblo society today.

Lekson contends that most of the features we've dubbed "kivas" at Chaco Canyon and Mesa Verde were not, in fact, "kivas" as that word is applied to modern Pueblo ceremonial structures, but rather elaborate pit-houses, which allows us to use them as an index of population at sites like Pueblo Bonito and Cliff Palace.

Ryan’s presentation explores the vernacular architecture of ancestral Pueblo people dating from the Pueblo II (A.D. 900-1150) and Pueblo III (A.D. 1150-1300) periods in the northern, middle, and southern San Juan regions in the American Southwest to examine communities of practice and their social, temporal, and spatial production practices. This research specifically examines kivas—or round rooms used for ritual and domestic activities—to address how architecture was actively mediated by communities of practice and how their production techniques can shed light on group identity.

Balenquah (Hopi), is a member of the Greasewood Clan from Bacavi Village. Balenquah has worked in the American Southwest as an archaeologist documenting ancestral Hopi settlements and lifeways. He will be combining his professional knowledge and training with personal insights about his ancestral history to provide a unique perspective on kivas and their significance to Hopi culture.

Following their presentations, they will come together for a panel discussion and answer your questions about kivas live!

Funding has been provided by Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020.