About the Jumano Government
The Jumano tribe of Indians once lived in Texas and parts of New Mexico. Historians categorize two different groups of Jumano: the Plains and the Pueblos. These two groups depended on each other in times of hardship but had no real organized form of government. When decisions needed to be made, they turned inward for help.
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Function
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Unlike other tribes living in the same area, the Jumano were divided into separate groups: the Pueblos and the Plains. There is also some debate about a third group that may or may not have been connected to the Jumano. The purpose of a government was to organize the different groups together for trading and celebratory events. Representatives would visit the different tribes to ask for help when needed or to trade goods and services.
Features
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The Pueblos lived in houses made of bricks, while the Plains lived in different places over the course of a year, moving when they needed to. These two groups were connected under the banner of the Jumano tribe. Historians refer to this type of government as a band level. This essentially means that the different tribes worked together but were fairly autonomous in terms of any real form of government. Historians believe that the Jumano didn't appoint chiefs because they felt no need to do so.
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Considerations
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It's important to remember that very little is known about the Jumano tribe today, and historians themselves disagree on a number of factors regarding their government. The only recorded mentions of the tribe were by Spanish explorers passing through the area. The tribe primarily kept to itself, rarely working with outsiders, and no one in the tribe recorded their history. For this reason, historians are uncertain of how exactly the different groups of the Jumano worked together.
Theories/Speculation
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There is a distinct difference between what historians, archaeologists and other experts believe in regards to the Jumano tribe. The current belief is that the different tribes worked independently of each other for the most part and followed a band level. This means that the tribes helped each other occasionally, but turned to their own group for decision making and lacked an official chief. There are some historians that believe further research will reveal the use of tribes or some form of organization within the groups.
Geography
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The Jumano tribe were situated in area of Texas and New Mexico. Those known as the Plains were found in Texas, usually situated near or alongside the river. This group frequently moved, and historians believe that some of their camps have never been found. The Pueblos stayed in New Mexico for the most part, although there are reports of the group traveling into areas of Texas. Many times the two groups stuck close to the Rio Grande, moving along the river when the weather changed.
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