The Jumano

Some of them lived near the Rio Grande. They were traders. during the winter, they traveled to other communities, to trade their goods. They slept in tepees on the way there.

They were a peaceful tribe and covered themselves with tatoos. These Jumanos were nomadic, and wandered along what is known today as the Colorado, the Rio Grande, and the Concho rivers. The Jumanos were good hunters. They hunted wild buffalo. The Jumanos traveled on foot until the 1680's. They ate nussels from the Concho river, and found pearls. They thought celebrating spiritually was important. Part of that spirituality came from nature. They drew pictographs to show they were spiritually dating thousands of years ago.

When the Jumanos celebrated harvest time, they celebrated with other tribes. They got a special house ready for the guest, but they didn't come say hello, instead, they went to their house, put their belongings in a stack, and bowed their heads against the wall as a way of welcoming them to their village.

Scholars have been unable to determine what language they really spoke, but they have some guesses: Uto-Aztecan, Tanoan, and Athabascan.

The men and children usually went without clothing. The women wore clothing made from deer or buffalo hide. They wore nothing above the waist, but liked long skirts, and moccasins.

Some of them built pueblos to live in. The pueblos were made out of adobe (a type of brick), stone, and wood. Others lived in tepees made from animal skin, and the rest built houses out of sticks or reeds.

They usually walked, but they would sometimes attach a sled to a dog, and have the dog pull them.

During war the Jumanos fought with clubs, and cudgels. They made them out of wood. They also used shields made from buffalo hide.

The Jumano lived in small groups, and had no leader. Each band would help the other. The groups would send people to ask for help, trade goods, and ask for services.