Pedro Pino: Governor of Zuni Pueblo, 1830-1878

By E. Richard Hart

Pedro Pino, or Lai-iu-ah-tsai-lu (his Zuni name) was for many yearsthe most important Zuni political leader. He served during a period oftremendous change and challenges for his people. Born in 1788, capturedby Navajos in his teens, he was sold into a New Mexican household, wherehe obtained his Spanish name. When he returned to Zuni, he spoke threelanguages and brought with him a wealth of knowledge regarding the worldoutside the pueblo. For decades he ably conducted Zuni foreignrelations, defending the pueblo's sovereignty and lands, establishingtrade relationships, interacting with foreigners-from prominent militaryand scientific expeditions to common emigrants-and documenting all in aremarkable archive. Steeped in Zuni traditions, he was known amongother things for his diplomatic savvy, as a great warrior, for hisoratory, and for his honesty and hospitality.More than a biography, Richard Hart's work provides a history of Zuniduring an especially significant period. Also the author of Zuni and the Courts: A Struggle for SovereignLand Rights and the co-author of A Zuni Atlas,Hart originally wrote the manuscript in 1979 after a decade ofhistorical work for Zuni Pueblo. He then set it aside but continued topursue research about and for Zuni. Its publication, at last, inscribesan important contribution to Pueblo history and biography and atestimonial to a remarkable Native American leader. In an afterwordwritten for this publication, Hart discusses his original intentions inwriting about Pedro Pino and Zuni and situates the biography in relationto current scholarship.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874215633
• ISBN13: 9780874215632
• Release Date: May 2003
• Publisher: Utah State University Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.3" x 8.5"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher